The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
US goaltender savoring his unique journey
Caballero arrived in Northeast Ohio from Canada via Germany
Little did Suzie Regan realize her son’s old room at her Bainbridge Township home might have some mileage still left in it for a goaltender.
Jamie Regan graduated from University in 2010 and left to pursue his junior and college hockey aspirations.
More than a decade later, through an unexpected chain of circumstances, Jamie’s room now has a new tenant.
And if all goes right for Noah Caballero over the next 48 hours, he might have more than just a residence in common with Jamie Regan. He might be able to call himself a state champion, too.
Caballero has been impressive between the pipes for US as a first-year starting netminder, going 16-5 with 419 saves and a sterling 1.30 goals-against average. The Preppers take on Sylvania Northview in a state semifinal at 9 a.m. March 11 at Nationwide Arena in Columbus in a quest for their third state title all-time.
“I live in (Jamie’s) room, and every morning I wake up and the first thing I see is Jamie Regan celebrating his (2009) state championship win on the wall,” Caballero said. “It’s a huge motivator for me actually. Because it just shows how much it takes to get there and that it’s possible and anybody can do it. Jamie was a phenomenal goalie and went on to play D-I hockey. I’ve heard a lot about him and how great he was.
“So it’s really inspiring that I get to stay in his
home and get to continue the legacy of goalies at US.”
How Caballero arrived in Hunting Valley as a junior is a whirlwind hockey tale if there ever was one.
Caballero is a native of Mississauga, Ontario, one town to the southwest from Toronto about an hour from the United States border.
Goaltending initially wasn’t in the cards for Caballero as an 8-year-old.
“My first year as a player, they asked me to go play goalie for a game because our normal goalie was out for that game,” Caballero said. “And after that game, I just fell in love with being a goalie.
“I was a big fan of staying on the ice the whole time. I wasn’t a big fan of the shifts. I liked being in the action 24/7 and not being on the bench every other minute. And I just felt like the team rallied around me. Everybody needs a goalie.”
He continued through Single-A and Double-A teams in Mississauga until the novel coronavirus pandemic.
As if going from skater to goaltender wasn’t bold enough when he first began, another bold move was on the horizon.
“So everything was shut down in Canada, and my options were quite slim,” Caballero said. “I talked to my goalie coach, and he said it was a long shot, but there was an opportunity for me to go play high-level Tier 1 hockey in Europe. I was down for that. It was a big decision, but I ultimately decided it would be best for me.”
That Tier 1 opportunity was with the 17-and-under squad of ERC Ingolstadt in Germany’s Deutsche Eishockey Liga. Through networking, a coach there was contacted, watched highlights and then Caballero found himself on a plane overseas.
“Well, I’m not going to lie. It was quite rough,” Caballero said of the transition. “Going in there, I didn’t know German, so there was quite a significant language barrier there. Any time I’d go out, it was
just a lot of nodding, a lot of pointing. I didn’t really know how to communicate with anybody. And it was my first time away from home, so I was really missing my family.
“It was rough going into it, but I think I was strong. And I was able to push through all of the adversity and kind of triumph there.”
He logged 14 games and a 4.92 GAA that season.
What struck Caballero in that German league vs. his Canadian upbringing in a more physical style was a reliance on puckhandling and 1-on-1 skill.
“The quality of the shots that I received in Germany were much harder than the quality of shots I received back in Canada,” Caballero said. “And the game is much faster paced.
“I feel like it was huge for my development. I was getting beat a lot in that league, and it really helped me understand I’m not perfect and never will be. If I get beat, the only thing I can do is worry about the next puck.”
In a small-world scenario, Caballero’s godfather, Kevin O’Brien, is an English teacher at University.
O’Brien connected Caballero with Preppers coach Andy Gerow, who watched Caballero’s highlights and expressed interest.
“We continued talking, and I didn’t fully commit to US yet because I didn’t know where I wanted to play that next year,” Caballero said. “But obviously, US is a great school and great community. So after my first visit down in Ohio, we decided that I’d just go straight from Germany, and then the following year, I’d just go straight to US.”
Gerow reached out to see if anyone in the US orbit could be of assistance with housing Caballero. One text went to his longtime US teammate Jamie Regan to see if Suzie and his father Sean could assist. They were glad to oblige.
Jamie Regan is the most accomplished goaltender in News-Herald coverage area history, a state champion as a junior and 2010 NewsHerald hockey player of the year as a senior, going 4312-2 with a 1.56 GAA and 1,174 saves over those two seasons. He was named to the 2000s and 2010s NewsHerald hockey all-decade teams and played at Division I New Hampshire.
Caballero has been appreciative of the Regans’ hospitality.
“They’re wonderful people,” Caballero said. “They treat me with pure respect and are super kind to me. They are also very understanding of my schedule. They’ve actually been really lovely hosts, and I couldn’t have asked for a better host family.”
Caballero is unsure where his hockey future will take him after this junior season at US and will see “what decision fits best for me and my family.”
But what a ride it’s been thus far.
Two of the seasons that live forever in US lore are its state title squads from 2002-03 and 2008-09, the latter the legendary “triple” team of Red North, Baron Cup and state champion, perhaps the best team in the sport in News-Herald coverage area history.
The goaltender on that last state title team was a junior who lived in a room in a house in Bainbridge Township.
Little did the Regans know a second champion might be two wins away — from Canada, through a stopover in Germany and now in Hunting Valley.
“It has been amazing. It’s been a dream come true really,” Caballero said. “The season has felt like a lucid dream honestly. It’s gone by so fast. I’m sad that it’s coming to an end, but at the same time, we are where we want to be in the frozen four, playing against (Sylvania Northview on March 11).
“It’s a great group of guys. The team has been jelling perfectly. And it’s amazing because all of us just want to win for these seniors. It’s that bond we have and connection as a brotherhood that really makes it special.”