Rough pro debut for former Spitfire
It was a tough situation for 19-yearold Mikey DiPietro to be put in. Up with the Vancouver Canucks on an emergency basis because goalie Thatcher Demko is out with a sprained knee, DiPietro found himself the starter on Monday night when Jacob Markstrom experienced lower-body tightness earlier in the day.
“We thought (Markstrom) was going to be able to play,” Canucks general manager Jim Benning said. “But then he felt tightness; we didn’t want to run the risk (of further injury). We need him here down the stretch.”
Enter DiPietro, who is an Amherstburg native and former Windsor Spitfire, who got to make his NHL debut against a San Jose Sharks squad that is second in the NHL in offence.
When the final buzzer went, DiPietro had allowed seven goals on 20 shots in a 7-2 loss. “Definitely a lot of butterflies, but certainly it was a dream come true for myself,” DiPietro told media after the game. “Obviously, not the result you wanted, but it’s good to get the first one under the belt and hopefully, as time goes on, get more and more comfortable. Just keep improving on my game.” With a week since the Demko injury, some criticized the Canucks for not having put a plan in place faster so that DiPietro was not exposed so soon. The club had signed LaSalle’s Michael Leighton, who is also a former Spitfire, to an American Hockey League deal last month, but opted not to bring him up on an NHL deal.
For DiPietro, who was traded by the Spitfires to the Ottawa 67’s in December, the speed of the game at the NHL level was stunning. “It’s different then on the bench when you’re experiencing it first hand,” said DiPietro.
The Canucks almost seemed to acknowledge that DiPietro was pushed into action too soon on Tuesday when the club traded a seventh-round draft pick in 2020 to the New York Rangers for 27-year-old goalie Mark Mazanec. DiPietro is looking forward and not behind. “Definitely a dream come true, getting the start,” DiPietro said.