Michael DiPietro earned himself a good shot at an NHL goaltending job along with his stellar 2024-25 season in Windfall. Whether or not he seizes that probability – and in flip creates an attention-grabbing alternative for the Bruins to enhance their roster elsewhere – will likely be some of the attention-grabbing story traces when the coaching camp opens in September.
The 26-year-old DiPietro, a 2017 third-round choose of the Vancouver Canucks who was obtained for Jack Studnicka in October 2022, loved a standout season within the AHL (26-8-5, .927 save share, 2.05 GAA) for Windfall. It was adequate for the B’s to lock him down on June 30 to a two-year, one-way deal price an annual wage of $812,500.
He was set to turn into a Group 6 unrestricted free agent on July 1 however he determined to remain put and see the place his Bruins odyssey would take him.
“There’s just a few elements. Firstly, Boston is the crew that actually gave me a second probability on my profession after getting traded from Vancouver. I sort of needed to begin from the bottom up after I obtained to Boston,” mentioned DiPietro, reached at his residence in Amherstburg, Ontario. “After I obtained right here, the journey for myself was to seek out my sport, to seek out what works in my sport and what doesn’t and I feel for me, the employees, the goalie teaching in (Mike Dunham) and (Bob Essensa), largely Dunnie in Windfall, has been incredible. As I’ve grown up within the group, going into my third full yr, I feel for myself, the assets that they supply on the psychological aspect of the sport – I speak with our psychological coach as soon as every week, Dr. Bob (Dr. Robert Knaus), down in Windfall – all these elements have been a part of it. I’m huge on cherishing exhausting work and dealing for issues. I feel for those who’ve seen my profession since I’ve turned professional there’s been somewhat little bit of adversity. And to me, going to a company that prides itself on simply placing their head down and going to work, it’s a very good match for me. It simply boils all the way down to loyalty, too. I used to be clearly very pleased after they supplied what they did. It was precisely what we needed from our perspective and I’m simply pleased that the deal’s carried out. I’m shifting ahead and prepping for the season.”
Certainly, DiPietro needed to begin from scratch within the group. He spent most of 2022-23 with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL (19-9, 2.61 GAA, .918 save share), earlier than bumping as much as Windfall the subsequent season to be Brandon Bussi’s 1B, getting 30 video games (18-9-2, 2.51, .918) earlier than getting in 40 video games final season.
He’ll be a part of an intriguing goalie competitors in camp. Except some blockbuster commerce goes down, Jeremy Swayman would be the No. 1 goalie. He confirmed indicators that he was able to put his subpar ‘24-25 season (22-29-7, 3.11, .892) behind him with a powerful World Championships gold medal win for the US. But when the leaks proceed, it’s a very good wager that new coach Marco Sturm will likely be much less hesitant to make use of his second goalie extra usually.
However who will that backup be? The incumbent is Joonas Korpisalo, who has three years left at $3 million cap hit (Ottawa retained $1 million of $4 million cap hit of his wage within the Linus Ullmark deal). Although he completed with numbers that weren’t all that inspiring (11-10-3, 2.90, .893) final season, the 31-year-old Korpisalo had his moments, sufficient for even GM Don Sweeney to say he most likely ought to have gotten extra time as Swayman looked for his sport.
Now, into that blend goes DiPietro.
“Clearly I’ve loads of respect for Sway and Korpi. They’re each nice goaltenders. For myself, you may’t be intimidated. If you go to camp, you must be snug in your individual pores and skin. You’ve obtained to be snug with who you might be,” mentioned DiPietro. “The large factor for me is, don’t be something I’m not. The one particular person I might be is myself. My mindset for camp is similar as each camp I’ve been to, which is to attempt to make choices exhausting. For me to sit down right here and say I wish to go steal a job and this, that and the opposite, it’s fairly black and white. All people that goes into an NHL coaching camp desires to make an NHL roster and for myself that’s no totally different. Nevertheless, I feel I’ve loads of respect for the fellows which might be there and on the similar time, all I’ve to fret about is when the puck comes, I’ve to try to cease it. That’s not me wishing any will will on anyone. I’m not saying I wish to do that or that. For me, it’s placing my head down, like I’ve been taught by mother and father, simply placing within the work and on the finish of the day attempting to decide troublesome.”
If each Korpisalo and DiPietro carry out as much as their expectations or past in camp, it will create each a dilemma and alternative for the B’s. Each Korpisalo and DiPietro would require waivers to be despatched to Windfall. From a purely monetary standpoint, it will behoove the B’s if DiPietro received the job. Even when DiPietro wasn’t nice in camp, chances are high he’d get snatched up on waivers earlier than Korpisalo would due to the veteran’s contract. And there are some groups who needs to be determined to improve their goaltending (whats up, Edmonton). May the B’s work out a commerce that would bolster their present roster, or at the very least add to their steady of prospects? Hypothesis is working rampant on either side of the border as we hit the dead-air portion of the NHL calendar.
Time will inform on that. For now, that’s none of DiPietro’s concern.
“Frankly, I don’t have any social media. So far as the speak, I attempt to block it out,” mentioned DiPietro. “I feel my sport was in a very great spot final yr and I feel it’s in a good higher spot now. I simply assume so long as I maintain progressing and remembering ranging from the bottom up after being traded, chipping the best way up the ladder and simply retaining my head down and doing the work is a superb feeling. Constructing off a season like final yr is essential for me and stepping into the precise route, nonetheless bettering in points of my sport I nonetheless want to enhance in. However yeah, you get excited for camp and assume ‘Possibly that is the yr.’ Frankly I feel my sport is in a very great spot final yr. If I have been to have gotten a sport perhaps, it will have been much more snug on the market than perhaps the previous NHL expertise that I’ve had, the little that I do have (three video games, .771, 5.28, 0-2 with Vancouver). Yeah, it’s thrilling everytime you go to camp, particularly constructing off a season like final yr. However on the finish, it’s as much as me to go on the market and cease the puck and make choices exhausting. All the skin noise, that’s nice but it surely doesn’t actually matter. The one factor that issues is your product on the ice. I’ve to show it to the coaches, I’ve to show it to Sweens and everyone in Boston if I’m adequate to make the Bruins’ roster. And I must show it to myself firstly after which all the things else will comply with. I’m grateful for the chance and I’m excited to be again for 2 years and in a company so wealthy in historical past. Who is aware of what is going to occur? The rumors are in all places. However I’m a ‘be the place your toes are’ sort of particular person and my toes are in Amherstburg proper now, residence with my household and doing all the things I can to get myself prepared, bodily and most significantly mentally, for an additional lengthy, grueling hockey season. And hopefully a very good one.”
