The Soo Camp

Well the Soo camp was a success for Devin, he played very well and enjoyed himself tremendously. In five games he only allowed five goals and made a good showing. He loved the camp but was tired by the end of the week. Unfortunately he did not make the list of kids who go on to Rochester NY. I was shocked that he did not make the top four goaltenders who, two go to NY and two go to Kent State in Ohio. Given he went to NY last year I thought he would at least make one of the two camps; however,we were told later that he is already on the radar of scouts and it was time to give other goalies a chance to prove themselves. Well that made sence, though we were extremely disapointed. He is practising with the NTDP coaches in Ann Arbor three times a week until the end of July and this instruction is priceless. He is learning alot, improving his game and hoping to become part of the program in the future.

Youth Goalie Aims High

This was an article in the Saginaw News dated Thursday June 10, 2010:
"Youth Goalie Aims High, 14 year old gets taste of elite hockey"
Between the pipes and on the ice is where Devin Williams has always felt comfortable.
Thats a good thing, because he's been spending alot of time there lately.
"I liked being in the net,"Williams said, "It was just different from everybody else."
Williams, a 14 year old Saginaw Township resident, has been garnering plenty of ttention for his skills as a goaltender s he climbs the rungs of youth hockey.
Last month, Williams attended the third annual Warren Strelow National Team Goaltending Camp in Ann Arbor. The camp brought in 36 of the best youth goaltenders from around the country for four days of fundamentals work.
Strelow was the goaltending coach for the 1980 United States Olympic Ice Hockey Team, and spent 21 years as a goaltending coach in the NHL. USA Hockey sponsors the camp in an effort to develop elite goaltenders for its national teams.
"I was pretty excited to be asked to go there," Williams said.
The camp's affiliation with the USA Hockey program had Williams especially excited. A year from now, Williams said he hopes to be invited to the USA National Team Developement Program, which grooms some of the top American junior hockey players for college and professional hockey.
So far, the feeling would appear to be mutual. On top of being invited to the Warren Strelow camp, Williams also participated in the USA Selects program last year, which included a trip to the team's national player development camp in Rochester NY and has been invited to work out at the USA Hockey complex in Ann Arbor during the summer.
One of the reasons the USNTDP has caught Williams' eye is the international travel aspect. Their U-17 team took a trip to Slovakia last season, while the U-18 team traveled to Belarus, Russia and Finland.
But before he's old enough to join the USNTDP, Williams will play with the Motor City Metal Jackets AAA Midget Minor team in Troy, when he is a freshman at Heritage.
Williams moves on to the Motor City program after graduating from the Bay County Blizzards, FLint Phantoms and the Belle Tire program out of Detroit.
Last season, Williams finished with a goals against average under 3.0 and got a taste of high-level youth hockey. "I learned how fast the game was at the top levels," Williams said.
And he is confident he has the skills to take himself to the highest levels. "Im good at moving in the net and reading plays," Williams said.

NTDP Goalie Camp

Well the invite only goalie camp is now over and Devin had an awesome time. Four days of goalie instruction by coaches from the NTDP to the NHL. He learned alot and feels he is faster and better than he was before the camp. The coaches told him they are excited to be working with him this summer (he will be going down three days a week). He was also able to hang around with the goalies who are currently in the NTDP. He was able to see the high school they attend and is now more gung ho than ever to make the program. All expenses were paid by the camp, skate sharpening as he needed it, they washed his clothes each day, gave them tape for their sticks and even warmed their gloves before going on the ice. He shared a hotel room with one other goalie and were bussed to and from the arena. He is spoiled now and wants more than ever to be a part of the national team. He will have to work hard and focus his energy on making the team. In two weeks he heads for the Soo, he is also excited about that. Then if he makes the cut he goes to Rochester NY in July. Its a good thing he loves his sport as it is a year round endeavor.

A Place To Call Home...

Well Devin found a home for the fall with an independent AAA team out of Troy, MI. He will be on the Motor City Metal Jackets, a team affiliated with the North American Prospects Hockey League. He will have two exceptional coaches that come highly regarded and some of his teammates will be from Europe, including the other goalie. They will be attending tournament showcases in San Jose, CA, Indianapolis, IN, Boston, MA, and somewhere in Minnesota. They will also be playing some of the teams in Detroit. He will get alot of exposure and will continue to play at a high level, which will help him to continue to progress to the next level. I can now relax and enjoy my summer now that he has his team.

Spring Update

Well, the spring tryouts were not successful in that politics once again reared its ugly head. Devin attended Little Caesars, Honeybaked and Compuware tryouts and was not chosen, though he looked really good. Though this wasnt a major issue for spring (he has quite abit going on), there was great concern that he would not have an elite team to play on in the fall. In the meantime he attended the Toronto Prospects tournament in Toronto and made an awesome showing. Though we only won one game, we lost the other two 2-1 and all the teams were good. It is difficult to throw a team together for one weekend; however, it was a good time and Devin played very well. He is now heading for the invite only elite goalie camp in Ann Arbor sponsored by the NTDP. The roster came out, there is only eight goalies in the 95 age group and Devin is the only 95 goalie from MI. Take that all you coaches who didnt want to give him a chance!

Season Ends

Well Devin's first AAA season is over and now the quest to find another AAA team is on. Tryouts start next week and at this point we are unsure as to where he will go. There is alot of politics at this level and having to squeeze ten teams into five will leave alot of kids without teams. Will keep you posted.
His season went well in terms of getting noticed. As I said before he is going to the Toronto Prospects at the end of this month, the NTDP goalie camp next month, the Selects at the Soo in June and the Boston Jr. Chowder Cup in July. Should he make it again this year he will also go to Rochester in July. On top of that he has been invited to practise all summer with the NTDP and will receive alot of instruction. You would think coaches would be looking for him; however, we have had only a few inquiries so far so we will see.

News Flash

Well we have more exciting news for everyone and it just keeps getting better. There was a scout at our last game of the season, who had been watching Devin over the course of several games. He spoke with both Devin and Clarence, telling them he was very impressed with the way Devin plays and that he is putting together a 95 elite team from across the country for the Toronto Prospects the end of April. He is only going with one goalie and asked Devin to be in the net for the tournament. I guess scouts from colleges across the country will be there. Then Devin received a letter today (as well as a phone call) from the head coach of the NTDP. He has been invited to attend a goaltending camp the end of May, for the most elite goaltenders in the country. Its a four day camp and his hotel, meals, transportation and ice time will be covered. This camp is to train and condition goalies and determine who has the potential to move on to the USA national team. We are very excited and it is going to be a very busy summer for him again. Toronto Prospects Tournament in April, NTDP goalie camp in May, the Soo in June, Boston Jr. Chowder cup in July, as well as the possiblity of Rochester again. Will keep you posted.