Holtby looks to The Goalie Whisperer
Holtby says he's already enjoying working with goaltending coach
Right coach. Right time. Right challenge.
Braden Holtby doesn't lack incentive to get his game in order to split the Vancouver Canucks' goaltending duties with Thatcher Demko during this demanding and condensed NHL season.
Working with coach Ian Clark is as crucial as knowing he has the foundation to build upon after capturing a Stanley Cup ring and a Vezina Trophy while with the Washington Capitals.
And if anybody is going to fine tune Holtby, it's going to be The Goalie Whisperer.
Clark's ability to reach stoppers on every level — technically and emotionally — is not lost on Holtby. And because Clark championed the free-agent pursuit of Holtby after Jacob Markstrom's departure, class has been in session for more than a month. What awaits is 56 games crammed into 116 days.
Three of six back-to-back sessions for the Canucks are in January.
“I've had an opportunity to work with quite a few coaches over my career and obviously Ian is at the top of the class,” Holtby said Monday, following his first on-ice training camp session at Rogers Arena. “Every guy sees the game a little different and as a goalie, you just want to soak as much of that as you can. Everybody knows his track record.
“When he was in Columbus, we played them a lot and the things I see in Bob (Sergei Bobrovsky), I kind of see where it's coming from now. It's extremely interesting to work with people at the top of their class that have been doing it for years. It's exciting to learn from Ian and put it in my game and keep getting better.
“I've been able to pick his brain a bit and make some adjustments that I will continue to work on. It's been good, hard work.”
Holtby, 31, is coming off a substandard season — 3.11 goalsagainst average, .897 save percentage and 2-5-0 post-season record — and after agreeing to a twoyear, US$8.6-million free-agent deal here, he is hoping to return to a steady and stable game. The Lloydminster, Sask. native is certainly capable, winning the Vezina in 2018 with a sparkling 2.20 GAA and .922 save percentage.
Nobody likes to give away trade secrets, but Markstrom's ascension from soft early goals to finishing fourth in Vezina voting last season had a lot to do with Clark's influence.
Improved tracking ensured Markstrom reacted properly and was in better position for pucks behind the net. In front of it, he didn't overcommit on first shots, his glove reactions were sharper and he worked hard at not being as vulnerable on the short side.
And for a guy who's often out of his crease to retrieve pucks on dump-ins, being more stoic to track those plays was a boon. Clark called it reverse tracking. Markstrom had one skate on each post with pads along the ice and his body in the middle. He leaned from side to side, rather than sticking to one side and moving back and forth. It worked.
That attention to direction and detail also paid off for Demko.
Demko had 42 saves in a 2-1 win over the Vegas Golden Knights in his first post-season test and followed that up with a spectacular 48-save shutout effort in a 4-0 triumph two nights later.
That's enough to want to own the net, but this is a different season. If both goalies play to their potential, the Canucks should claim an all-Canadian division playoff spot.
“I'm just going to play the best I can, and Holtby and I have hit it off really well,” said Demko. “We've been in the weight room and on the ice and really getting to know each other. It has been awesome. We've clicked really well.
“He's really down to earth and really hard working and easy to talk to and share thoughts about what we're working on with Clark. He has been around and has been to the top of the mountain. I have a lot of respect for him.”
What does this all mean when the Canucks open their season on Jan. 13 in Edmonton? Who starts?
“We have two really good goalies,” coach Travis Green said. “You look at what Demer did in the playoffs and his progression the last few years. We expected him to be a starting goalie and knocking on the door for a while. We made sure he played enough games in minors.
“You can't say enough about Holtby with what he has done in the league and to have two guys like that is exciting. I'm definitely not going to sit here and say I know who is going to play how many games, or anything like that. Let's see where they're at on the ice.
“Holtby has a lot of juice left in him and we're in a good spot.”