A New Beginning...

Well Devin is now the number 1 goalie on the Flint Phantom team. There were alot of issues as to which division this team would play in and when all was said and done they ended up in Howe 3. They are hoping to prove to everyone that they belong in a higher division. At this juncture the team is 13-3-1. We have beaten 3 division 2 teams and tied a division 1 team; however, ended up in a consolation game at the Brad Stone tournament due to one bad game and they played the back up goalie in the one game we had to win, which we tied. Devin's goals against is 1.84 in nine games and his save % is 92 so he is doing well. He has been invited to attend a AAA tournament in Philadelphia next summer and will be trying out for Selects around that time, a tournament that highlights the top players. We are hoping to get him into the Goalie Mentor Program at Ann Arbor, which follows the top 5 goalies in each age group in the country; however, he needs to make the Selects team to do that. He has also been asked to practise with Compuware AAA once again and for the practise and experience he will go down once a week.

A Chapter Closes

Well the Bay County Blizzard Travel Team has folded and Devin is now officially a Flint Phantom. Though its sad to see this chapter end, it was a great run with three trips to the LC Championship, including back to back Champions, what a way to end. Unforturnately several of the families decided to "jump ship", which did not leave enough for a team for 08-09. Devin was asked to be the starting goalie on the Flint Phantoms team, along with two of his Blizzard players so a new chapter will begin in the fall. In the meantime, Devin was also asked to come to the CW AAA practises all summer. Though they have their roster picked, the experience will be good for him and maybe open the door for next springs tryouts.

Disapointment Again...........

Well, because of Devin's hurt little finger the CW coach decided not to wait to see if he could play and used two of his regular goalies for the tournament. Though we did go to one of their practises prior to the tournament weekend, Devin did not roster with them; however, ended up playing all three games for the Blizzard. Unfortunately we ended up having to play teams in the #1 ranked division (who rostered three AAA players each just for the tournament) and did not fare well. The CW coach watched one of the games, and though they only won one of their three games, decided to stick with the goalies they have. Devin was notified by email and once again the coach told him he wanted to stay in touch and have him come down for practises this summer. (Doesnt want to take him but doesnt want to let him go either............?) A Flint team is now in hot pursuit of him; however, this would mean a lateral move vs. a move up. So it looks like Devin will remain a Blizzard another year and will just have to try out for AAA again next spring, maybe for a different AAA team. In the meantime he is going to a camp in Peterborough this summer and will have his goalie coach Mike, for the season, to fine tune him and prepare him for next springs tryouts.

The Saga Continues..........

Well once again we have good news and bad news. The good news is the AAA Compuware coach called last night and wants to reconsider Devin. Apparently the three AAA goalies they chose are not panning out and he wants to take another look at Devin in a game situation. He wants to roster him for a tournament this weekend, of which the Blizzard team is also entered, though the CW team is playing at the 94 level. Now for the bad news................last Thursday before practise, while Devin was getting ready to go out on the ice, one of his team mates tripped and came down on Devins left pinkie finger, slicing it lenghtwise to the bone. He ended up having to get seven stitches to close the wound and wont get the stitches out for ten days. That takes us past the tournament weekend. Devin feels he can still play and wants very badly to show the CW coach how he plays; however, it is his catcher hand and very active during games. What a dilemma! Devin is going to try practising tonight and see if he has any problems with it, which will determine whether he can play this weekend. (The doctor said it was up to him; however, he is not to split the stitches open). So here is his opportunity to move up to AAA and he may not be able to. The saga continues...............................

A Rising Star

Once again Devin gets his picture in print, this time in a weekly publication that covers the state of Michigan. He not only gets his picture in the magazine, he rates the front cover, next to the likes of Gordie Howe. The picture was taken after the BC Blizzard reclaimed their title of LC Adams Division Champions in March of this year. The writeup at the bottom of the picture did not fit the printer................"Goaltender Devin W. holds the trophy aloft after backstopping the 95 BC Blizzard to the LCAHL PW AA Adams Div. Championship. It was their second consecutive crown. See story.........." Within the magazine is an article about the win, including that Devin received a shutout in the game. (take note of the "C" on his jersey.)

Lose Some, Win Some

Well the AAA tryouts are over and once again politics reared its ugly head. Devin made it through the Compuware AAA tryouts to the very last night but was cut for another AAA goalie. And once again the coach reported that he loved Devins agility, form and personality; however, he lacked experience. This coach also requested that we keep in contact and bring him down for practises, but again said they filled their position going with three AAA goalies. I guess the question is.........how does he gain the experience if no one is willing to give him a chance? The good news is the BC Blizzard went to a tournament this past weekend, winning all four of their games, making it to the Championship. Unfortunately, due to bad ice, a two and a half hour delay and seven hours of waiting between games, they lost to the same team they beat the day before. The good news is, with five new kids on the team and only four practises prior to the tournament, they gave a very good showing.

The Good With The Bad

After getting asked back four times Devin was told yesterday that he would not make the Belle Tire team, though the coach was extremely impressed with him. Told Devin that he did not want to burn bridges with him, wanted to keep up on where he is playing and watch him in game situations, but was afraid he did not have enough experience at the AAA level and that he did not have time to develope him. He even told him to continue to come to their practises and work with the team whenever he wanted. He recommended that Devin try out for Compuware (also AAA), where he would get alot of shots on him and would continue to develope his skills and prepare him for the speed of AAA. His assistant coach (who played in the NHL for seven years) wanted him on the team and told the coach that even at the age of 12 he was the best he has seen, but obviously that wasnt enough for the head coach. The coach also told us that if Devin did not make a AAA team he should play up at the 94 level, because to stay in his age group would hinder his progress. And of course Devin was extremely disapointed, he had his heart set on this team; however, he now knows what he needs to do to get there. So last night we took him to a Compuware conditioning skate precluding their tryouts. He will go to the next few conditioning skates and then a decision will be made whether he will try out for Compuware or tryout for Victory Honda.

LC Championship, Mar. 15, 2008

Well the championship game was played and once again the Blizzard team won for the second straight year. It was a tough game, 0-0 after two periods before the boys stepped it up a notch and scored three goals. Devin got a shutout, stopping 24 shots to win the game. And though goalies are not usually the captain of the team, Devin wore the "C" again as he did in last years championship game. It was a great ending for him, should he advance to AAA, which is the next step in his evolution to realize his dream. This past week Devin attended a practise with the Belle Tire AAA team and he did very well, holding his own at that level without difficulty. Following the practise, the coach pulled him aside and told him he really liked what he saw, thought Devin had alot of potential and asked him to come back to their practises the rest of the month to see how he looks. Though this isnt a shoo in, Devin felt the coach was very excited about him. And though we have questioned Devin about making this move, driving to Detroit several times a week, leaving his pals on the Blizzard and going up to a more intense level, he claims he is ready. He states that he needs to make this move if he wants to reach his Junior Olympics goal.

Pee Wee AA 2007-08

This year Devin was again the #1 goalie for the BC Blizzard. Goalie coach Mike was on board and the team was again in the #2 ranked division. Though they started out great, they ended the season in third place in their division of LC, though they took runner up to Flint again in the MAHA district finals. When the LC quarterfinals came around it was a must win situation if the team wanted to continue. The game went into 4 on 4 overtime and then 3 on 3 overtime before the Blizzards scored a goal and the team moved to the semi finals. This game was also close and went into 4 on 4 and then 3 on 3 overtime. When that ended in a tie the game went into a shootout and once again "The Dominator II" did not allow a single goal. The Blizzard scored two and are now on their way to their third championship game in as many years, which will be held on March 15. Also during this year there has been great discussion on whether he should go AAA. It has been recommended by many, including his goalie coach that he is ready and should try out. He has been asked to come down to a practise from the Belle Tire AAA coach and this will take place next month. He is also going to try out for Victory Honda, should he not make the BT roster. His goaltending abilities continue to be discussed by many, it is now a matter of getting him seen by the AAA people that matter, according to coach Mike. Keep in mind that Devins long term goal is to play in the NHL; however, his short term goal is to try out and make the 2010 14 and under Junior Olympics and to do that he will need to have AAA experience under his belt.