The Vancouver Canucks are flush with young goaltenders, and have added another one to their impressive stable. Michael DiPietro has signed his three-year entry-level contract, just weeks after being named the third goaltender for Canada during the IIHF World Championship. DiPietro is expected to return to the OHL next season to finish his junior career, meaning the first year of his contract will slide to the 2019-20 season.
DiPietro, 18, was selected in the third round last summer and played well enough for the Windsor Spitfires to earn Goaltender of the Year honors in the OHL. His .910 save percentage doesn’t jump off the page, but he did it on a weak team that had sold off nearly all of their top assets after winning the Memorial Cup last season. He was shockingly invited to participate with Canada at the World Championship despite his young age, though he didn’t get into a game in the international tournament.
The Canucks have Thatcher Demko spoiling on their AHL squad currently, as he patiently waits for a chance in the NHL. That may come sooner than you think, as though Jacob Markstrom and Anders Nilsson make a fine duo, both are unrestricted free agents within the next two years. When Demko graduates to the NHL (provided no trades happen before then), DiPietro will be his heir apparent for the job with the Utica Comets. Though he’s relatively undersized for a goaltender in today’s NHL, DiPietro exhibits an uncanny ability to either deflect shots into non-danger spots on the ice, or recover quickly to make the second save. His elite reflexes allow him to cover whatever he lacks in size, and he should find success at the next level.
In 5 years we will be trading away Demko and in 6 years we will trade this kid.
It’s the way we do things in Vancouver
Not true. If Demko is Luongo and DiPietro is Schneider, then DiPietro will get traded first.