To handle the load physically, Oettinger worked for the second straight offseason with mobility coach Grace Witthuhn. She said most of their focus is on Oettinger's hip mobility, "bullet-proofing the groin area, because that's a common problem area for goalies, hip abduction, internal rotation."
"In my world that's how we access deepest tissue, allows to open more space, and we're also focused on spine rotation," Witthuhn said. "So hips can face one way, but he can reach and twist the other way hopefully without injury. It's a lot of consistency, a lot of hours.
"I've said since the day he started with me that I wish others, especially young athletes, understood the importance of having a body that's good not just for your sport. He has a real good understanding. The work he puts in will pay off so much longer, way beyond when his time with the NHL is done. I'm very impressed; he's so young and has this really good outlook."
Oettinger also has focused on improving his puck-handling, and it's an aspect Reese said he and Oettinger work on every day.
He also will have to mentally deal with any adversity that comes his way. On that, former NHL goalie
Marty Turco
had advice for Oettinger.
"Just trust yourself, you know? That's the big one. Stay with the process, or whatever the jargon is of the day," said Turco, the leader among Stars/Minnesota North Stars goalies in games played (509), wins (262) and shutouts (40).
"It's hard to have a job to turn your brain off when your brain is the most dominating feature we have. It's literally who we are. You have to turn it off to do your job but then turn it on and say, 'OK, how do I fix this?' then turn it off again. If he trusts himself and grows and allows the room for growth, which is also sometimes taking a step back, he'll be in a great spot."
Oettinger approached starts last season with an excitement to match his competitiveness. It's a combination he'll look to bring this season as well.
"Obviously I went through a lot last year," he said. "It's a really tough position and you always have to be doing things to make sure you're on top of your game, otherwise there's going to be another kid like me looking to take my job now. I just couldn't be more excited to be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL this year. It's my job to help this team get back into the playoffs."
NHL.com staff writer Amalie Benjamin and independent correspondent Taylor Baird contributed to this story