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Thatcher Demko | #35 | G


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Travis Green was just on TSN1040 - 01/12/17 And said that Demko has surprised him(Green) on how well he's been.  Also said it's a good sign when athletes are able to step up their game when needed which is what Thatchy D did when Bachman was hurt.  I can't imagine how bad thin the D core is in Utica when we're icing 3 of their starters but that's a great sign.  He still preaches patience and figures he's still a couple years away.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Demko claims the #3 spot on the Canucks Army Midterm Prospects Rankings:

 

http://canucksarmy.com/2017/1/25/canucks-army-midterm-prospect-rankings-3-thatcher-demko

 

Quote

THE RUNDOWN

 


I've written about Demko on a few occasions, including the summer, when I conducted a lengthy interview with NHL.com goalie expert Kevin Woodley.

I would recommend checking that out if you haven't already done so, as Woodley grants expert insight into Demko.

I also spoke to Demko at Young Stars in Penticton, about how he prepares for games and analyzes shooters and plays. I didn't include the entirety of our conversation in that post, but I walked away from the interaction with a sense that Demko already gets how to be a professional. He recounted specific events and players from two years ago with great detail.

Linking both of those pieces are an excellent way to see how Demko is off the ice, and he is a student of the game.

On the ice, Demko struggled to start the season, as he adjusted to the AHL.

One of the areas of concern was his glove hand; he was regularly getting beat of shots on that side. But he quickly adapted how he held his hand, and then it went up from there. His partner Richard Bachman went down with an injury in early November, and Demko went on a tear:

 

Those are exceptional numbers when being relied upon as the number one goalie. His performance has seen something of a dip since, as Bachman returned, relegating Demko to a backup role. Demko has also battled illness over the last few weeks.

Contrary to others suggestions that Demko should play more, I find this is exactly the environment he should be in. Between the ample practice time and how much of it is spent with Rollie Melanson, Demko's in the ideal situation to learn how to be a professional goaltender.

 

Edited by SID.IS.SID.ME.IS.ME
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10 minutes ago, Tiger-Hearted said:

Thatcher, it seems, is having his AHL growing pains as well. Made 26 saves out of 31 shots faced in a 7-4 home loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

 

Not to worry, though. Cory Schneider had his AHL growing pains with the Manitoba Moose and look what happened. 

Much too early to be worried. Hopefully Utica is deeper next year and Thatcher, along with some of our other prospects moving up can develop and improve together. Hopefully the start of some future core players.

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11 minutes ago, Tiger-Hearted said:

Thatcher, it seems, is having his AHL growing pains as well. Made 26 saves out of 31 shots faced in a 7-4 home loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

 

Not to worry, though. Cory Schneider had his AHL growing pains with the Manitoba Moose and look what happened. 

Schneider actually had a good rookie season in the AHL at roughly the same age as Demko.

 

Schneider 36gp, 21-12-2 .916 SV% 2.28 GAA

Demko 26gp, 9-11-4 .893 SV% and 3.03 GAA

 

Schneider then had seasons of:

40gp, 28-10-1, .928 SV% 2.04 GAA

60gp, 35-23-2, .919 SV% 2.51 GAA

 

So if Demko is going to be compared with Schneider then he needs to finish this season strong and have 2 strong seasons in 17-18 & 18-19 before he is ready to be the Canucks back up.

 

 

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7 minutes ago, theilluminati said:

Schneider actually had a good rookie season in the AHL at roughly the same age as Demko.

 

Schneider 36gp, 21-12-2 .916 SV% 2.28 GAA

Demko 26gp, 9-11-4 .893 SV% and 3.03 GAA

 

Schneider then had seasons of:

40gp, 28-10-1, .928 SV% 2.04 GAA

60gp, 35-23-2, .919 SV% 2.51 GAA

 

So if Demko is going to be compared with Schneider then he needs to finish this season strong and have 2 strong seasons in 17-18 & 18-19 before he is ready to be the Canucks back up.

 

 

I think he'll be ready after next season. Giving him a full season (60ish games) as Utica's starter will do nothing but good for him. Not to mention Utica should be much better next year too. 

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