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Thatcher Demko

Southern California Becoming A Hotbed For Young Hockey Talent

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Can you name the all-time leading NHL scorer who was born or raised in California? No? It’s long-retired journeyman defenseman Lee Norwood of course with a total of 211 points. Coming in at number two is Brooks Orpik and his 185 career points and Orpik was raised in New York and played his developmental hockey in Massachusetts. The state of California has simply never been much of producer of hockey talent. Not for long. The grassroots movement in Southern California, fueled by the success of its three NHL rival teams, has begun to grow talent at a rate never before seen in the state or in many southern markets. Soon, California natives will be making names for themselves at the highest level.

For a while now, Boston Bruins defenseman Kevan Miller has been the best player in the NHL both born and raised in California. The rugged blue liner from Los Angeles is 30 years old, making him more of an outlier ahead of his time. However, younger pros are beginning to line up behind him for the title of top Californian. Chad Ruhwedel, Ian McCoshen, Matthew Nieto, Beau Bennett, Nic Kerdiles, Eric Comrie and Collin Delia make up the list of other West Coast natives that are getting play time in the NHL.

The above group is still not all that impressive. The point being that the SoCal hockey movement hasn’t hit just yet. It is the next wave that will really start to turn heads. The poster boy is Vancouver Canucks top goalie prospect Thatcher Demko. The San Diego product was an early second-round pick in 2014 and has impressed at every level: the USHL, NCAA, and AHL. Once the Canucks finally give him a legitimate role in the NHL, he could become a top goalie in the league.

Demko was a product of the Tier 1 Elite Hockey League, a nationwide premiere youth league with teams based in major cities across the U.S., some of whom have even adopted the local NHL club’s moniker. Demko played for the Los Angeles Jr. Kings U16 team in 2011-12. To take a look at how hockey has grown since, here are some other names who have suited up for the same team since:

  • Robby Jackson, the leading scorer for St. Cloud State University, the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament in 2017-18. Jackson turned down pro offers to return to school for his senior season.
  • Jake McGrew, a 2017 sixth-round draft pick of the San Jose Sharks who currently plays a top-six role for the Spokane Chiefs of the WHL
  • Cole Guttman, a 2017 sixth-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning and former top ten USHL scoring leader who heads to the University of Denver this year
  • Murphy Stratton, a point-per-game power forward in the BCHL last year who is committed to the University of North Dakota
  • Sahil Panwar, the 23rd overall pick by the London Knights in the OHL Priority Selection Draft this year and a 2020 NHL Draft prospect

While the Jr. Kings have had quite a run in recent years, the cross-town rival Anaheim Jr. Ducks have been keeping busy of late. In just the past year, the Ducks have had numerous major commitments. Josh Groll, on of the T1EHL’s top scorers last season, is bound for the University of Michigan. Ryan Johnson, who scored the second-most points by a defenseman in league history a year ago, is committed to the University of Minnesota. Just today, the University of Massachusetts received a commitment from forward Ethan Wothers. The top player to watch of them all though is Jackson Niedermayer, son of Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer, who will join the Penticton Vees of the BCHL this season and promises to be an intriguing name in next year’s NHL Draft.

This is just the beginning of what grassroots hockey may grow to be in Southern California. Beaches and year round warm weather aside, the area has everything it needs to continue to grow the game: popular NHL teams, plenty of wealth to support facilities and training, an opportunity to be noticed, and now a high level of interest among the many young athletes. Kevan Miller may want to watch out, his title of being the best Californian in the NHL might not last much longer.

Canucks Recall Thatcher Demko On An Emergency Basis

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After giving highly-regarded prospect Adam Gaudette his NHL debut earlier this week, the Canucks could be set to do so with another of their promising youngsters, announcing (Twitter link) that they have recalled goaltender Thatcher Demko on an emergency basis.

The second-year pro has had quite a strong season at the AHL level, posting a 2.49 GAA and a .921 SV% in 42 games with Utica, both considerable improvements over his numbers from his rookie year (2.68 GAA and a .907 SV%).  He has been considered one of the top goalie prospects in the league for several years dating back to his time back at Boston College.

It appears that Demko will be taking the place of Anders Nilsson on the roster for the time being.  Rick Dhaliwal of NEWS 1130 notes (via Twitter) that Nilsson is sick.  Given the nature of the recall, Demko will have to be returned to the minors once the emergency situation ends or be converted to one of their four post-deadline recalls.

Bo Horvat Potentially Out Long-Term; Canucks Recall Chaput, Demko

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As if our “Thankful For” series was a jinx, Bo Horvat was injured in Tuesday’s Vancouver Canucks game and will be out long-term. The team announced the injury is a broken foot, and that he will be out at least “multiple weeks.” Horvat is seeing a specialist to get a more accurate timeline. In light of that, the team has recalled Michael Chaput from the AHL along with Thatcher Demko.

The reason for Demko’s call-up is less obvious. As Patrick Johnson of The Province explains, it most likely is a move to get the Canucks as close to the salary cap as possible before placing Derek Dorsett on long-term injured reserve. That way they can receive the largest benefit from his injury status, and use his entire $2.65MM cap space if need be.

Horvat has been excellent for the Canucks this season, and with Brandon Sutter also currently on injured reserve the team’s depth at center will be tested. The pair were leading the team in ice time among forwards, meaning others like Sam Gagner and Henrik Sedin will need to step up in their absence. Vancouver, who have had an admirable start to the season, will have to find a new way to shut down their opponent’s top players.

Pacific Notes: Sekera, Demko, Cogliano

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Oilers defenseman Andrej Sekera skated for the first time on Friday since undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL sustained late in May during the playoffs, notes Postmedia’s Jim Matheson.  The blueliner says that his recovery is on schedule but given the varying timelines for players coming back from this surgery, there remains no firm timeframe for his return.  At the time of the operation, the team said he’d be out between six and nine months; the six-month mark is still a couple of weeks away (November 18th).  Sekera estimates that he won’t be cleared for contact for another two weeks so it’s unlikely that he will get the green light to return until late this month at the earliest.

Other notes from the Pacific:

  • The Canucks announced the recall of goaltender Thatcher Demko from Utica of the AHL. This will be his second stint with the team so far this season although he did not get into a game when he was up last month.  He will be on standby to take the place of Anders Nilsson whose wife is set to give birth shortly.  The 21-year-old Demko is off to a strong start in the minors this season with a 1.85 GAA and a .939 SV% through seven AHL appearances this season; those numbers rank fourth and second respectively league-wide among qualifying netminders.
  • Ducks winger Andrew Cogliano is set to become only the fourth player in NHL history to play in 800 straight games when he suits up tonight against San Jose, notes Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register. He will become only the second player to do so in the first 800 games of his career.  The record is held by Doug Jarvis at 964, meaning that if he can stay healthy, Cogliano should have a chance at beating the record in a couple of years.

Minor Moves: Minnesota, Vancouver, Ottawa

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More recalls as the day goes on, and teams start filling in roster pieces due to injury or inconsistent play. Here are the latest moves around the NHL.

  • The Minnesota Wild have brought up a pair of forwards to help bolster their roster, as the team recalled Justin Kloos and Luke Kunin. As we wrote earlier, there is a chance that Zach Parise undergoes surgery this week and is out long-term, but the team did welcome Mikael Granlund back to practice. Still, with Nino Niederreiter and Charlie Coyle out the team needed reinforcements. Kunin has already been up with the team, playing in three games this year, but Kloos would be making his NHL debut if he gets into a game. The 5’9″ forward signed as an undrafted free agent with Minnesota this spring, but is a homegrown product that played his college career with the Golden Gophers.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have brought back Patrick Wiercioch and Thatcher Demko, after sending the former back down just a few days ago. With the Canucks still having two other goaltenders on the roster, the Demko recall is intriguing. Either there is an injury that hasn’t been reported, another move coming, or the Canucks are just positioning themselves as close to the cap as possible before moving players to long-term injured reserve. That would allow them to get the entire benefit, and with Alex Edler, Loui Eriksson and possibly Troy Stecher (who has flown back to Vancouver for further testing after leaving last night’s game) out long-term, the team needs some extra cap space.
  • Max McCormick has been recalled by the Ottawa Senators, presumably to help fill in for Bobby Ryan who broke his finger again in Saturday night’s victory over the Maple Leafs. Ryan will be out a month, giving some of the younger players in the Senators system a chance to show what they can do. McCormick, 25, has just 27 games of NHL experience but provides both some scoring touch and a willingness to drop his gloves. The energy forward scored 21 goals last season in the AHL in just 66 games.
  • The St. Louis Blues have recalled Beau Bennett, giving the team a 13th forward on the roster. The team sent Ivan Barbashev and Samuel Blais down yesterday, giving the youngsters more ice time to develop. Bennett is still relatively young at 25, but has plenty of NHL experience already under his belt. A first-round pick of the Penguins in 2010, Bennett put up 19 points for the New Jersey Devils last season but wasn’t issued a qualifying offer this summer. The Blues’ signed him to a one-year, $650K contract but sent him to the AHL to start the year. He’ll provide some depth for the bottom-six, and try to show that he belongs in the NHL full-time.

Pacific Notes: Fowler, Garbutt, Demko, Coyotes

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After being heavily mentioned in trade rumors over the offseason, Ducks defenseman Cam Fowler is off to a strong start this year with 17 points (7-10-17) through 28 games.  As Eric Stephens of the Orange County Register notes, head coach Randy Carlyle has certainly taken notice, stating that Fowler is as important to Anaheim as Brent Burns (San Jose) and Erik Karlsson (Ottawa) are to their respective clubs, certainly high praise given the stature of those other blueliners.

Not only is Fowler leading the way offensively from the back end, he’s averaging a career high 23:58 per game of ice time, including regular minutes on the top power play and penalty kill.

While it has been speculated that Fowler and his $4MM cap hit would have to be moved for salary cap reasons, the long-term concussion for fellow blueliner Simon Despres has given the Ducks enough wiggle room for the time being.  Even when he returns (which isn’t likely to happen for quite a while yet), he’s too valuable to Anaheim for them to realistically consider dealing him any time soon.

Still with Anaheim, after clearing waivers on Friday, forward Ryan Garbutt has been assigned to their AHL affiliate in San Diego, the team announced.

Other news from the Pacific Division:

  • With goaltender Ryan Miller leaving Thursday’s game with what is believed to be a lower body injury, the team announced via Twitter that they have recalled top prospect Thatcher Demko from Utica of the AHL. Demko is off to a decent start in his first professional season after spending three years at Boston College.  He has a 7-5-1 record in 14 appearances with a 2.59 GAA and a .909 SV%.
  • The Coyotes announced that they have recalled center Laurent Dauphin and defenseman Anthony DeAngelo from their AHL affiliate in Tucson. Dauphin has played in 18 games with Arizona so far this season, notching a goal and an assist while DeAngelo made a strong impression in his first call-up last month, picking up seven points (2-5-7) in just 11 games.  Dauphin’s recall comes on the heels of Max Domi being placed on injured reserve.

Vancouver Unwilling To Move Top Prospects For Short-Term Help

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While Vancouver GM Jim Benning is looking to make a move to improve his struggling Canucks team – they’ve lost nine straight games following tonight’s game against the Islanders – his options are limited due to an unwillingness to part with any top prospects or core players, writes Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.  Benning explained his rationale to not consider using what would be his best trade assets:

“We’re in a transition period and that’s why I’m looking at different things. If it makes sense, we’ll look at it, but I’m not moving our Grade-A prospects.”

Vancouver’s ‘Grade-A’ prospects include goaltender Thatcher Demko who is considered the goalie of the future and is just beginning his pro career and recent first round picks Olli Juolevi and Brock Boeser who are at the junior and collegiate levels respectively.  Kuzma adds that top draft picks are also off the table as well.

One player who has received a lot of interest is defenseman Chris Tanev.  However, Benning ruled out any ideas of trading him at this time:

“We’ve rebuilt our defence over the course of the last two years and we have some depth. Tanev is a big part of our group and we’re not looking to move him. Chris is still young (26) and one of our better defencemen and you saw the other night (Saturday) when Tanev and Edler didn’t play.”

Tanev, who is currently out of the lineup with a foot issue, has a desirable contract for a top four blueliner with a cap hit of $4.45MM through the 2019-20 season.  He recently returned to Vancouver to be re-evaluated and there is no timetable for his return.

In the meantime, with seemingly limited trade options at the moment, the Canucks will continue to hope that players like Loui Eriksson (zero goals), Sven Baertschi (zero goals), Jake Virtanen (zero goals), and Brandon Sutter (one goal) can snap their respective scoring droughts and get Vancouver back into the win column.

[Related: Canucks Depth Chart]

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