Ice puckstopper Hauser born to mind the twine

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This article was published 03/11/2022 (1377 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Something about stopping pucks has always fascinated Daniel Hauser.

At seven, he skated as a forward in his first year of minor hockey and as a defenceman for the two years following that, but he always ached for a chance to don a mask and strap on the pads. His parents, probably understanding the pressure endured by most goaltenders in the sport, resisted the idea.

“I kept nagging them that I wanted to be a goalie and they really wouldn’t bite,” said the 18-year-old Winnipeg Ice puckstopper following practice Thursday morning. “But they finally let me do it. We got second-hand gear from a shop out in Calgary and I went to my first tryout and made the No. 1 (atom) team my very first year.”

When Hauser made the switch as a 10-year-old, he never wavered in his enthusiasm for the job.

Eight years later, the Chestermere, Alta., product’s game has reached a level few would have thought possible for any junior goaltender, much less a 5-11, 156-pounder nicknamed Doogie after the lead character in the 1990s television show Doogie Howser, M.D.

Currently on an 11-0-0-0 streak with a .920 save percentage and 2.35 goals-against average to begin the 2022-23 season, Hauser’s mid-career totals reveal a surgical precision to his game.

In 59 WHL regular-season appearances, he has 52-3-2 record with a .913 save percentage and 2.22 goals-against average. In the post-season, he’s 8-2-0-0 with a .910 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average.

Hauser was chosen by Winnipeg in the sixth round of 2019 WHL Prospects Draft even though he was not named to the team representing Alberta at the WHL Cup that spring.

“I don’t want to say his stock went down but I think where he got drafted and not playing for Team Alberta in the U16 WHL Cup (showed) he didn’t quite get the recognition he deserved because of his size,” said James Poole, who coached Hauser on the Edge School’s U18 Prep team in 2019-20. “And that was despite the fact that he always had the tools and in terms of my team, he was our No. 1 guy and had the ability to steal games.”

Being a competitive guy, Hauser took the snub personally.

“Not to sound cocky or anything but, that was the first times I hadn’t made a team or been selected,” said Hauser. “I think it’s just kind of a motivator to prove everyone wrong.”

While his size was bound to be a deterent to NHL teams considering him for the 2022 draft, Hauser’s fearless approach, superb positioning and agility has earned respect from goaltending deep thinkers in the game.

Kelly Guard, who tutors goalies for the WHL’s Prince Albert Raider and Hockey Canada’s U17 and U18 program, is a big fan.

“The thing I like with smaller or average-sized goalies is that they’re always really quick,” said Guard recently from Prince Albert where he also operates Guardian Goaltending school. “The good ones, like Daniel Hauser — he’s really quick, quick to his position and he’s there on his feet. And then they battle the hardest because they always had to.”

Guard, one of the winningest goaltenders in WHL history during a spectacular two-season run with the Kelowna Rockets in the early 2000s, has a strong affinity for shorter goalies.

At an even 6-feet, he was cut three times by his hometown Raiders before being traded to Kelowna as a 19-year-old and going on to post a 83-24-7-0 record with a .919 save percentage and a 1.73 goals-against average between 2002 and 2004.

Oh, and he also led the the Rockets to a WHL championship and two appearances in the Memorial Cup, winning once.

The bias against shorter goaltenders at the pro level, Guard said, could be on the decline.

“With my job, I can’t grow a goalie,” said Guard. “I have to teach them to play efficiently and play big. I’m a big believer that a small goalie can play big — it’s not a big net to fill. The trend is starting to come down a little bit to a certain point where if scouts can see that a goalie is smart and is a hockey player, not just a goalie, they can learn that space they got a cover you can actually play pretty big with no holes.”

If there’s a perception Hauser has benefitted unfairly by playing for a high-powered team like the Ice for his entire tenure in Winnipeg, he seems unconcerned. He has been steady and often spectacular, not skipping a beat despite a long off-season layoff due to a broken left ankle.

“I try not to think about that stuff to be honest with you,” said Hauser, who could get his 12th start of the season when the Ice hosts the Tri-City Americans Saturday. “I just go out and play — it’s been awesome the past three years here. We’ve had really great teams and really great support for us players. I don’t really like to talk about that kind of stuff and kind of like to let my play speak for itself.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14