Thatcher Demko was in class at Boston College on Wednesday until 9 p.m. (EST).
On a day in which he could have easily blown off his studies after signing a three-year, entry-level deal with the Vancouver Canucks, the NCAA’s top goaltender was grinding it out toward a degree in applied psychology. The only thing he eventually blew off were late-day media interviews. It was totally understandable after a signature day for him and the Canucks, a day in which he had to wrap his head around school and his future.
“It’s an exciting day for him and the organization,” understated Canucks general manager Jim Benning. “I like his size (6-foot-4) and how athletic he is. He’s real calm in the net like Carey Price. And when the goalie is calm, it gives the whole team confidence.
“He’s real competitive. He’s the type of kid in practice who doesn’t like having any pucks in the net. That goes back to when I was in Buffalo watching (Dominik) Hasek and he would get pissed and there wouldn’t be a puck by him for 10 minutes.”
Thatcher Demko was a second round 2014 pick.
It’s that competitiveness that required Demko to dial it back after Boston College was eliminated in the Frozen Four semifinal. The second-round pick in the 2014 draft didn’t commit to the Canucks right away and that set off some alarm bells.
Had Demko returned to school for his senior season — making the 20-year-old San Diego native eligible to become an unrestricted free agent if unsigned by Aug 15, 2017 — it would have created another crease conundrum for a franchise steeped in goalie controversies. Now all that has been reduced to deciding whether Group 6 free agent goalie Joe Cannata is part of the minor-league plan and allowing Richard Bachman to serve as backup for the Utica Comets because Demko is destined to be the starter.
As for the 2017-18 season, Demko could share the Canucks net with Jacob Markstrom or get a little more seasoning. Either way, this was the best option for Demko because of a lack of organization depth. It was just going to take time and there was no real reason to panic at any level.
“Our media was more concerned about it than I was and you know the media around here likes drama,” said Benning. “Our plan all along was to try and get him out after his junior year, but we wanted to respect the whole process. We wanted to give him time after his season ended because he’s such a competitive kid and when they lost out, he needed time talk it over with his family and coaches.
Thatcher Demko’s level of drive in NCAA competition was off the charts at Boston College.
“I talked to him last week about the path he was going to take in our organization and he felt comfortable with everything and made the decision.”
The study of human behaviour excites Demko in the same manner as stopping vulcanized rubber. And with stunning numbers in class and on the ice — top NCAA stopper and Hobey Baker finalist — he has everything to gain scholastically and professionally. With a 27-8-4 regular-season record, a sparking 1.88 goals-against average and .935 saves percentage, he raised the performance bar after having surgery on both hips a year ago to repair labrum tears. With better flexibility and durability, he also set a school record with 10 shutouts, eclipsing the mark set by Cory Schneider.
OF NOTE — Demko could join the U.S. for the world hockey championship tournament, but he’ll be writing exams the first two weeks of May.
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