Being peppered with shots in the final minute of play Saturday, San Jose Sharks back-up goalie Aaron Dell had to stand tall to help his team walk away with a 4-3 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes that evening. The situation in many ways mirrored his career thus far, as Dell quietly and calmly works hard to prepare every day, unsure when his next call between the pipes may occur.
Having only started once in two weeks and having appeared in just five games this season, Dell quietly boasts a 3-1-0 record with a .926 save percentage for the Sharks. His only loss came on November 5, again versus Carolina, although he stopped 32 of 33 shots he faced, and was easily San Jose's best player in the contest. Not an easy task with such limited, inconsistent playing time.
"It's tough when you're only playing once every couple of weeks," said starting goalie Martin Jones, who knows a thing or two about the back-up role after his stint behind Jonathan Quick in Los Angeles. "But Dell's a pretty cool customer. He's got a good approach, he works hard and he does all the right things."
With the departure of netminder James Reimer at the end of last season, questions arose on whether San Jose would try to acquire a back-up goaltender to take his place. However, Dell's performance with the San Jose Barracuda quickly proved he could take over the reins as the back-up netminder for the Sharks.
Dell's Road to NHL Helps Him Succeed with Sharks
Appearing in 40 games with San Jose's AHL affiliate last season, Dell posted a 17-16-1 record with a 2.42 goals-against average (T-4th in the AHL) and a .922 save percentage (T-8th in the AHL) along with four shutouts (T-6th) in 40 games. He also appeared in four Calder Cup playoff games during the Barracuda's first-ever postseason run. Following an impressive season in the AHL, Dell was signed to a two-year contract with San Jose on July 1.
"He's worked his way up," said Barracuda Head Coach Roy Sommer. "Last year he put up really great numbers in the American Hockey League and he's proved that he can play up there."
Yet from the 27-year-old's calm demeanor, you wouldn't realize the path his career has taken him - spanning all over the continent - to get to where he is with the Sharks today, but his tattoos say it all.
Donning a "Fighting Sioux" tattoo on his chest, Dell was the last team at the University of North Dakota (UND) to be referred to as such, but his numbers still remain an integral part of the school's history.
Dell is the career-leader in goals-against average (1.79) and save percentage (.923) for North Dakota. He ranks second all-time in winning percentage (.739) and fourth in shutouts (seven) and his 30 wins during the 2010-11 season set a UND single-season record, eclipsing former Stanley Cup Champion and one-time Sharks goalie, Ed Belfour's record of 29 wins. He also won three Western Collegiate Hockey Association Championships with the team.
After his stellar collegiate career Dell went undrafted however, so he hit the road and drove to Texas to play with the Allen Americans of the Central Hockey League (CHL). While he was there, he again rose to the top of the standings, winning a championship in his first year as a pro and being named the CHL's most outstanding goaltender during the 2012-13 season.
And there stationed on Dell's calf, another tattoo, representative of his time with the Americans and the title they won.
"He's won at every level he's been at," Sommer added. "You can't argue with his numbers."
Dell also had short stints with the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL) and Abbotsford Heat (AHL) before finding himself a part of the Sharks farm system and he has not taken any part of his career for granted.
"All the way up, I've gained experience and the maturity you need as a goalie," said Dell.
He has logged a lot of miles along the way too, including a 30-hour drive from Minneapolis to San Jose.
It's been exciting, that's for sure," he added. "A lot of my travels have been driving, so I've got to see most the country."
Then last season Dell finally got his opportunity to experience another level of play as a black ace with the Sharks during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The postseason run helped him refocus his training this past summer.
"I got to see the level that this team was at," said Dell. "The extra step it takes to get from the minors to here. The discipline on eating, making sure you do your workouts and doing the right things while you train. I got to see what that difference was and I think that really helped me put it into perspective."
His wife Kelly, who is an aspiring dietitian and was inspired to get a degree in nutrition because of her husband, even helped keep his eating on track.
"I was able to put together a weekly meal plan that was both delicious and nutritious to help Aaron lose body fat while maintaining muscle mass," Kelly said. "Making it taste good was very important because I wanted him to know that he could eat some of the things he loved, while staying in shape. Together, we have found a good balance with our diet."
With Dell's ability to learn different techniques in his training and game prep from every phase of his career, there's no question that he will continue to build on his skillset alongside Jones.
"His calmness is unbelievable. I'm kind of known to be that way too, but not as much as he is," Dell laughed.
And much like his approach to his career thus far, Dell is keeping it quiet on whether he'll add another tattoo representative of his time in Sharks Territory to his collection. However if he continues to produce numbers like this throughout the season, some new ink is probably not far off.
