Disappointment spurs goaltender DiVincentiis to refine his game

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/07/2024 (459 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Dom DiVincentiis was riding the wave.

Nine months ago, the Winnipeg Jets seventh round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft was the reigning Ontario Hockey League goalie of the year and had the inside track on being the starting goalie for Team Canada at the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championship.

DiVincentiis had taken part in his second NHL training camp with the Jets and showed well before he was reassigned to the North Bay Battalion of the OHL last October.

That’s when things took an unexpected turn.

Following a solid six-game block to open the campaign, DiVincentiis went through a rough patch that saw him allow 48 goals in a 10-game span between Oct. 19 and Dec. 7.

Instead of going into Team Canada camp bursting with confidence, DiVincentiis was reeling.

By the time the final cuts were made, not only was DiVincentiis no longer in contention to be the starter, he actually found himself on the outside looking in.

While that was definitely a shock to the system, going through the experience actually helped DiVincentiis get his game back on track.

“Absolutely. That’s adversity that you’ve got to deal with. It’s every kid’s dream to make that team and it’s a very tough roster to make,” said DiVincentiis, who is in Winnipeg this week for his third round of Jets development camp “There are tons of amazing other goalies and players that were a part of that team. You’ve got to go there and you’ve got to earn a spot on that team. I fell short of that, but it’s a learning lesson and for next time I’ve got to work on certain things that will get me on that team. You learn from that.

“That’s ultimately one of the biggest things that was able to turn around my second half was using that as motivation every day and remembering the adversity I went through and picking myself up from it and using that as fuel. It was a bit of a kick in the butt, as people would say, to get going.”

Get going is exactly what DiVincentiis did.

Rather than lament the missed opportunity to represent his country, DiVincentiis picked himself off the mat and got back to doing what he does best — making saves with regularity.

One of the many conversations DiVincentiis had in the aftermath of the Team Canada disappointment was a candid conversation with Manitoba Moose goalie coach Drew MacIntyre.

“I called him and gave him some hard truths. The way he was playing at the time, he didn’t really deserve it,” said MacIntyre. “So, to his credit, he took it and by the next time I talked to him, he had re-evaluated his outlook and everything. He made some changes and in my opinion, he was the best goalie in the league in the second half. If you look at the analytics and the numbers, it’s tough to say anybody was better.

“I said to him when he got cut, anybody can turn it around in the offseason. If you can turn this around mid-season, that shows very well for yourself, that’s a skill. And he did.”

As difficult as some of those bumps in the road were for Divincentiis to navigate, they should serve him well in the grand scheme of things.

“I knew that winning the top goalie (in the OHL) at 18 years old was going to bring some challenges for him — and it did. It really did. I think he got distracted,” said MacIntyre. “It was challenging for him. He went back and he struggled. He had to learn how to handle that type of success. I can relate. When I played, I was great at (handling) adversity. If you threw me adversity, I was awesome at it. Then I would have some success and be like, ‘Whoa.’ I didn’t know how to handle it.

“Long term, everything that happened last year was great for him. That’s not saying that I’m happy that it happened and he didn’t make Team Canada and all of that. But his attitude has been awesome.”

The ability to regroup on the fly is something DiVincentiis took a great deal of pride in.

“Ultimately, you come to (Jets) camp and you’re riding a bit of a high. You were here for a while and you were able to get on (the ice) with the pros, you go back to junior and you’re excited to start the season and all of a sudden, it starts slipping away from you a little bit,” said DiVincentiis. “It’s tough. I won’t lie. It’s definitely a hard experience to go through. But, the people that are going to make it to the next level are the ones that are able to battle that adversity and fight through it and be able to turn it around quickly. I feel that’s what I did, turn that around and learn from my mistakes. The way I finished the season is how I want to start next season.”

One of the other things DiVincentiis did last season was keep a close eye on the Jets and specifically, Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck.

“You pick up on certain things he does that make him special. He’s the goalie of the year in the NHL and he’s the best goalie in the world,” said DiVincentiis. “To pick up on some of the little things that he does is very important to me.”

DiVincentiis suffered an injury to his right ankle in the second game of the OHL playoffs, but he’s back to full health and ready for what’s next — turning professional this fall.

Whether that means nailing down a spot with the Moose in the American Hockey League or following a similar path to that 2023 fifth-rounder Thomas Milic who started last season with the Norfolk Admirals of the ECHL remains to be seen.

With the Jets adding Kaapo Kahkonen and Eric Comrie to the goalie depth chart on July 1, some seasoning in the ECHL could be required for DiVincentiis.

“There’s all sorts of options, we haven’t sat down and made those decisions,” said MacIntyre. “He’s got instincts. He’s a student. He’s athletic and he has all of the skills. He gets a little — I don’t want to say the word busy. He needs to bring more ease to his game, so it’s more smooth. At times, he can be a little rigid. He needs to smooth it out or refine. We’ll do it. He’s all in and I can’t wait to see what he can do here.”

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

X: @WiebesWorld