Almost Over.........

Well I havent written much this season I am ashamed to say; however, there hasnt been much to write about. Now don't get me wrong, Devin has done an awesome job for his first year in AAA and he definitely belongs here. His record is 5-6-4 in league play and of the six losses, four were by Honeybaked (awesome organization), the #1 team in the country. In tournaments he has even more wins. He has been scouted by the NTDP and they have watched a few of his games and liked what they saw. He has been approached to play for the Belle Tire Midget Minor team next year and has been approached by the Honeybaked coach as well. It has definitely been a good year for him to be seen by others. The problem is this Belle Tire team he is on is hopeless. They are a bunch of undisciplined goons and we are not winning alot of games due to the stupid penalties this team takes. Since the bench brawl we average 10 penalties a game and are short handed most of the time. The kids are hot headed, do not respect the coach and do not listen. The coaches have just about washed their hands of this team, which is not good for the kids that are focused and want to improve, like Devin. He just shakes his head does his job with composure in the net and doesnt get involved in all the shenanigans of the others, which is why people are looking at him. His coaches LOVE him though, because he is so professional. So we are almost done with this team and not soon enough for me. Plus, the other goalies mom takes STATS and it never fails that Devins shots on goal are less and her son always has 10 - 20 shots more a game. Though this has been brought to the attention of others, it doesnt change. Luckily all AAA organizations are not like BT and hopefully Devin will be able to get on a team next year that will continue to progress him to the next level. It will be an important year for him as he will be 15, which is when the scouting really intensifies. The next year he is eligible for the NTDP or even the OHL.

First Showcase

Three or four times this season one of the AAA teams hosts a showcase. This is like a tournament, in that the teams play four or five games in a weekend against the Chicago teams in the league. This cuts down on travel by letting the teams play several games and avoid back and forth driving. Well our first showcase was last weekend and Belle Tire didnt do too bad, Devin did well. He played the two toughest teams, won one and tied the second best team in our league. Due to the coaches rotating goalies, Devin only had two of the five games. Peter Ward was at the showcase and watched both of Devins games, which Devin played very well. He moved the puck alot and was told by many that he is like a sixth defenceman on the ice. For his first year in AAA he is doing very well, having won 4, lost 2 and tied 2. His only losses so far have been against Honeybaked, the number one team in the country. We are hoping that he will start playing alittle more often, as the more he plays the better he gets. Right now he is playing once every two weeks, which for him is not enough.

More News.........

Well Devin received an email from Peter Ward of the NTDP. He is putting together an elite team of 95 age hockey players for the Jr. Chowder Cup tournament in Boston in July. He is asking 9 forwards, 6 defencemen and 2 goalies from across the country and our Devin is one of the goalies. He reported that it would be a good way to get to know the kids that he is considering as potential candidates for the program when they turn 16. Unfortunately this tournament is the same time as the Philadelphia tournament we went to last year, which Devin goes for free because he was an All Star last summer. We have pretty much decided to do the Chowder Cup though, because that is the program we are considering for Devin in the future. His options are numerous through this program, and many of the kids already in the program have verbally committed to Universities. College, OHL, USHL or directly into the NHL seems to be what this program produces.

Bench Brawl

Well the Nike Bauer tournament ended on a sour note. Our last game was against a Canadian team and we were ahead with 1:12 left in the third period. We get a penalty and are a man short. We get a break away and just before the player gets to the net he is pulled down by the other team and falls into the goalie. The goalie starts pounding on our player along with the kid who pulled him down. This sends our other players in to help. At that time the Canadian coach sends his whole bench onto the ice to fight. Needless to say our coach sends our kids out also and there is a brawl all over the ice, the refs lose control and its a mess. Devin did not join in, he skated over to the bench. Needless to say they ended the game, we got the win and the canadian team had to forfeit their next game. For our punishment we have to play our next three league games minus five players. Well you might as well forfeit each game because we are scheduled to play two of the toughest teams over the next two weeks. We will only have ten players on the bench and the poor goalies, (who werent even involved) will have to suffer for it. This team is made up of very undisciplined, hot headed boys, this is not the first time they have caused problems. Though I blame the coach for not having a tighter rein on these kids, he didnt have a lot of choice in this case as it was 20 against 4.

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.