Bauer Invitational, Chicago

Well this past weekend was the Bauer Invitational in Chicago. Belle Tire did very well, winning three of their four games. We lost the first game; however, Devin was not in net, he won both of his and got a shutout to boot, his first in AAA. Peter Ward, the asst. director from the NTDP (who sent Devin the letter) was at the tournament, as was the goalie coach for the NTDP. He met and talked to Clarence, telling him that he would be watching Devin this year in several of his games. The NTDP goalie coach watched the game in which Devin received his shutout and was impressed. Devin played very well and moved the puck alot, helping get it out of the zone. BT also has a new assistant coach from Russia who talked to CLarence also. He told him that he had never seen a kid of Devins age that was so solid in net and was so athletic, he is amazed. He told Clarence that he would have definitely put him in net for the first game if it had been up to him. Unfortunately they are rotating goalies right now and it was the other goalies turn in net. In summary we did not move on because you had to win all your games. The team that beat us went on to take runner up in the tournament, they were very good. We still have alot to learn as a team, taking needless penalties is one of them. In this league you cant be a man short for most of the game and expect to win. For Devin this was a great weekend though and he is getting alot of exposure.

NTDP

Well it just keeps getting better. Last week Devin received a letter from the National Team Development Program based in Ann Arbor, MI. This is an organization that picks the best players in the country and then coaches, conditions and mentors them. The fact that he even got a letter is astounding, as they do not usually contact players until the end of their 15th year. Devin doesnt even turn 14 until the end of this month so it is quite an honor. The letter indicated that they had been watching Devins progress and liked what they saw, stating he has great potential. They requested a profile on him and a picture to keep in their records, as they will follow his progress throughout this season. They also indicated that they would like to meet Devin and his parents, introduce themselves and explain alittle more about the program. Devins current BT coach and his goalie coach indicated that this is huge for him. Needless to say, we are very excited and extremely proud of him.

The AAA Season Begins.....

Well the Belle Tire AAA season has begun and the practises are intense. Three times a week or more, depending on games. Devin's very first game was against the best team in the country and we lost; however, the score did not indicate how well Devin played. We scored first and Devin kept them in the game through the first period 1 to 0; however, he did not have alot of help and we ended up losing 7-1. He played the entire game because his coach said there was no reason to pull him, he did what he was supposed to and the team let him down. Well this team consists mostly of AA players so they needed to gel as a team and realize that this is a whole different type of game then they were used to. The second game was played against Little Caesars with the other goalie in net. We lost 3-1, though we should have won that game. Our third game Devin was in and we won against Compuware 7-1. Everyone seems to be real happy with the way Devin plays and think we will be the team to beat by the end of the season. At this level he will hone his goaltending skills and it will be up to him now, as to how far he can go.

National Camp

Well Devin has had a busy summer and it appears to have taken its toll. Though he began the NY camp number one in goaltending after his first two games, he ended up 18 out of 20. The coaches told him he was a really good goalie with great athletisism; however he needs to work on his rebounds and covering the puck as he is allowing too many shots one after the other. Considering he was playing with the best kids in the country he did well and (not to make excuses for him) he was not on a very good team. They had alot of independance at this camp, their dorm consisted of an apartment with three bedrooms, housing three kids per room. They stayed up late, ordered pizza and had a great time. But having three intensive weeks of hockey in a short time caused alittle loss of focus. Next year he automatically goes back to the Soo camp; however, should he make the NY camp again he will likely forego the Philadelphia tournament as it is too much in too short a time. Live and learn. He is now preparing for his two week camp at the end of August with his Belle Tire AAA team. It should be an interesting season.

Philly Tournament

Well the Philadelphia tournament was a great success. Devins team consisted of several of his Phantom teammates as well as a forward from Maryland, a defenceman from New York and a goalie from Arizona. They won six of their seven games and Devin played five of them. His G.A.A. was 1 and his Save % was .96. He won all-star awards in four of his five games and took team all-star overall which means he can return to Philly next year free of charge. The heartbreaking part of this story is that the team won all of their six games but lost in the championship game in double overtime. They had a grueling schedule prior to the championship, having played a game the night before, getting to bed at midnight. They had to turn around and be at the rink at 6 a.m. for the semi-final and play the championship before noon. Though the team played well, they had tired legs and during the three on three our defenceman stumbled. The shooter got around him and shot on Devin, who thought he had the puck under his pads. It ended up trickling past and across the line. It was a great week though, and Devin had a strong showing. Lots of interest in him, from an assistant New York Rangers coach to an international scout and two ex-NHLers who ran the tournament. Everyone thought he was an exceptional goalie, one of the best 95's in the country. He now heads to Rochester NY for the national camp for a week.

NY Roster Out

Well the NY National camp roster came out this morning and Devin made the Michigan Team. He was the only AA player to make the cut, the rest were all AAA and he is one of the top 2 goalies in Michigan. He will now go to Rochester NY July 8-14 where he will represent Michigan in this camp/tournament. There they will play other states kids who made their regional teams, such as MN, CA, etc. He is going to be busy the next few weeks as he leaves for Philly on Sunday, returning the following weekend, only to turn around four days later and head for NY. We are extremely proud of him for making it this far.

Soo Camp

Well Devin spent last week in Sault St. Marie at the selects hockey camp. They lived in the dorms of Lake Superior State Univ., had three meals a day and hockey, hockey and more hockey. He had a great time and did really well. There were four teams of 95 players, each with two goalies. They played two 23 minute periods with each goalie playing one period per game. Devins team won four of six games and he did not allow any goals in three of those games. He had one bad game, the whole team didnt play well, but did well in the rest. He was definitely one of the top three goalies there, looked good in the net, did well with the off-ice and loved the whole week. Devin thinks he made the NY team; however, there are alot of politics involved in hockey at this age. The list for who moves on will be out within the next few days and we will see how it goes. We leave for Philadelphia next Sunday for the AAA tournament. If Devin makes the NY camp the Williams will go to Philly without me, as I will go with Devin to NY. Should he not make the NY camp I will be going to Philly also. Stay tuned..................