Goalies Take Center Stage at Habs Development Camp

by Rick Stephens, AllHabs.net

BROSSARD, QC.—When you are asked to think about the word “arena” a first thought might take you to the Bell Centre: squeezing through crowded corridors, the ear-splitting jigawatt sound system, and the smell of spilled beer around you. Then again, if you are a hockey parent you may visualize a community rink: excited young voices, bad coffee and the distinctive odor of locker rooms and equipment bags.

My vision would be more mystical, a dream-like image narrated by Ken Dryden, beginning with something like “Hockey has left the river and will never return…”  You see, I was fortunate for a period of time to precede my work-day with a  solo skate in a darkened arena.  It was a time of peace and calm, where the only sounds were of sharpened blades digging into a clear sheet of ice.

I was briefly transported there in my mind as I walked into an unlit Bell Sports Complex a few minutes before 7:30 am. on Thursday morning.  As I arrived, eight defensemen were stepping on the ice for drills with skating consultant Paul Lawson.  The smallest player on the ice, Olivier Dame-Malka had no trouble smoothly navigating around the pylons –Brendon Nash proved that he is an agile skater for a big guy.

The crew then moved over to Sheet A for shooting instruction with Tim Turk.  The clear winner was Cameron Schilling who was launching rockets from the point at/past goaltender Joey Quattrocchi — Nash and Jarred Tinordi were a distant second.  Dame-Malka had good velocity on his shots but no guidance system.

For a brief time, Habs defenseman Hal Gill was sharing ice with the prospects.  Decked out in a Canadiens warm-up suit, Gill looked every bit the coach and mentor that he is to younger players.  After a quick skate and a few shots, Gill returned to the locker room.

A group of forwards headed over to Sheet B for their skating drills, but this was to be my day to focus on goaltenders.  It’s not an area of depth in the organization with only one netminder in camp being under contract.  In addition, the Canadiens have three goalies eligible for unrestricted free agency as of July 1st: Alex Auld, Curtis Sanford and Drew MacIntyre.

Peter Delmas has an AHL contract this season and should be one member of the Hamilton Bulldogs tandem along with Robert Mayer.  We can expect other moves as it’s unlikely that Pierre Gauthier would be comfortable calling up either goalie if an injury replacement is needed for the big club.  There is also the question of the back-up position in Montreal.

Delmas has played at the highest level of all goalies in camp — he played 24 games with the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers last season — and it shows.  He plays with confidence and is a good positional goalie.  Delmas has a good glove and the quickest recovery in camp.

I continue to be impressed by Aaron Dell.  If what Dryden says about goalies is true, Dell seems to have the right demeanor.  He is calm, quiet and moves in goal with efficiency.

“Because the demands on a goalie are mostly mental, it means that for a goalie, the biggest enemy is himself. Not a puck, not an opponent, not a quirk of size or style. Him. The stress and anxiety he feels when he plays, the fear of failing, the fear of being embarrassed, the fear of being physically hurt, all the symptoms of his position, in constant ebb and flow, but never disappearing. The successful goalie understands these neuroses, accepts them, and puts them under control. The unsuccessful goalie is distracted by them, his mind in knots, his body quickly following.” — Ken Dryden

Dell had a superb season at the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux as a teammate of Danny Kristo.  He has a low stance effectively covering the bottom of the net and is excellent at controlling rebounds.  Although it seems to work for him, Dell has an awkward grip when puckhandling.

On April 18 of this year, David Marcoux, coach at his own goalie school, announced via Twitter, that the Canadiens had signed Dell, a client of his, to a two-year deal.  This has not been confirmed by the team.

Interestingly Dell seemed to respond on the same day using his Twitter account that he was committed to UND for another year.

Chris Rawlings has been noticeable at camp because of his size, 6’5″, 220 lbs. but also by his play.  He plays further out than other goalies in camp — being at the top of the crease with his size leaves very little room for shooters.  Rawlings’ technique is a little raw but he moves well for a goalie of his size.

Evan Mosher is a 20-year-old from Conception Bay South, Newfoundland.  He completed his fifth season with the PEI Rocket in the QMJHL ranking second in save percentage an first in minutes played.  During the season Mosher grabbed headlines with a 65-save performance against the Saint John Sea Dogs.

Joey Quattrocchi plays in the Alberta Junior Hockey League for the Drayton Valley Thunder where he played 27 games this past year.

Both Mosher and Quattrocchi are thrilled with the experience to be part of the Canadiens camp to help further their development.

At the morning session, each of the prospect goalies took their turn in net while Randy Cunneyworth, Randy Ladouceur and three other coaches peppered them with shots. When the goalie was able to hold off the mob in a semi-circle around them, the coaches were forced to do push-ups on the ice.

It is indeed a long-shot for players on try-out to be signed but Pierre Gauthier may be forced to act with the goalie cupboard being bare.  Other than those already mentioned, Petteri Simila is the only other prospect in the organization.  Perhaps that’s why Gauthier wandered over to Sheet B to give Rawlings a long look when he was practising with the coaches.

While Carey Price is expected to be the cornerstone of the franchise for many years, we may see Trevor Timmins and Gauthier targeting a later round goaltender at the upcoming NHL Entry Draft to add as an organizational asset.

 

Do you have a player or issue that you would like All Habs to keep an eye on during development camp? Please tell us in the comment section.

To see all the photos from Canadiens Development Camp – Session 1 visit the All Habs Facebook page. Be sure to click “Like” when you get there!