Demko on fast track to Canucks

UTICA, N.Y.-- Earning a job with the Vancouver Canucks means making a trip across North America from this old-school American Hockey League city, but goaltender Thatcher Demko is making excellent time.
Demko turned 22 on Dec. 8, but his work with Utica has him on a fast track to Vancouver in his second pro season. In his latest performance for Utica fans, he made a diving save that helped set up a 1-0 win for the champion North Division against the Pacific Division at the AHL All-Star Challenge on Monday.

The abundance of offense in the 3-on-3 round-robin tournament among the four AHL divisions, with 43 goals in seven games, made for a hectic night for goaltenders, but Utica fans had another chance to view the talent they're accustomed to seeing from Demko.
"I can't say enough about the ovations that they gave [fellow AHL All-Star and Utica teammate Reid] Boucher and me," Demko said. "It's part of the reason why it's so special to play here."
Demko (6-foot-4, 204 pounds), a second-round selection (No. 36) in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Canucks, has been projected as a future No. 1 goaltender in Vancouver, and his AHL work has only strengthened his chances.
He is 17-7-5 in his second pro season; his .929 save percentage is fourth in the AHL, and his 2.27 goals-against average is seventh. He is third in games (29) and fifth in minutes (1,772).
He has put up those numbers amid early-season struggles for Utica. With former coach Travis Green promoted to the same role with the Canucks this season, Utica has a new coach, Trent Cull, and a roster that has seen 43 players this season.

Utica started 6-9-0-1, but Demko eased some of the transition for Utica. He was the CCM/AHL goaltender of the month in October after he went 4-1-0 with a 1.61 GAA and .950 save percentage.
Utica is on an an eight-game point streak (6-0-2-0) and has at least one point in 14 of the past 16 games (10-2-2-2). Demko has played 10 games in that stretch and made 35 or more saves in six of them.
Before going to Utica, he played three seasons for Boston College. In 2015-16, his third NCAA season, he was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and won the Mike Richter Award as the best goaltender in college hockey.
But even the best prospects can face a difficult adjustment to the AHL, and Demko was no different.
He finished last season 22-17-4 in 45 games as an AHL rookie and had a .907 save percentage to go with his 2.68 GAA. "I thought I had a pretty rough adjustment my first year," he said. "The first two, three months I was trying to find my feet."
However, when he looks back at his rookie season, he believes the turning point came in the second half. Utica won 10 of 12 games, and Demko emerged as a clear No. 1 AHL goaltender.
"I was learning how to not overthink the game," he said of his rookie experience. "Just remember that you have to have fun. I think guys play their best when they're relaxed and enjoying themselves, so that's something that I'm continuing to work on. The more I do it, the better I play."
He won eight consecutive games in a three-week period and had a 1.26 GAA, a .958 save percentage and two shutouts.
"Toward the end of the year, I started to [find] myself there and just get better and better," he said. "Luckily I was able to come into this year and keep doing what I was doing at the end of last year."
Utica fans have watched Demko has made the transition from a rookie to an elite AHL goaltender. The team has a 115-game sellout streak and an intense fan atmosphere, a preview of what prospects can expect when they reach the NHL.
For Demko and Boucher, their relationship with Utica fans is mutual.
"Boucher and I were just skating off the ice, and we just mentioned [a salute to the fans]," Demko said. "It just felt like it was fitting."
"They support us. We just wanted to recognize them and show them it's not just going by the wayside and that we really appreciate it. "It's a blast playing here."