It usually takes a bit of time for a younger athlete to get adjusted to playing against older and faster competition.
That hasn’t been the case for Battlefords North Stars rookie goaltender Joel Grzybowski.
Heading into this weekend, the 17-year-old from Hafford has compiled a 7-1-0-0 record and his 1.26 goals against average is the best in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League so far this year.
He also has the second best save percentage in the league at .948.
“I’ve been pretty happy with how everything has been going so far,” Grzybowski said.
“One of my goals coming into the year was to have a save percentage over .900, and I’ve been doing well in that part of my game so far. I hope to keep that up for the rest of the season.”
Grzybowski was rewarded for his strong start by the SJHL Tuesday, as he received the league’s rookie of the month award for September and October.
He also earned his second goaltender of the week honour Monday, to go along with a rookie of the week trophy he picked up last month.
“It’s definitely nice to be recognized from the league, especially as a rookie,” Grzybowski said. “It’s a pretty good feeling to receive those awards, especially as I come into North Battleford as a new player.”
Although Grzybowski played in one game for the North Stars last December, where he made 21 saves in a 5-2 win over the Notre Dame Hounds, the move up from the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blazers has presented some interesting challenges.
“One of the major focuses here is to make sure that we don’t give up a lot of shots on goal,” Grzybowski said. “That was a tough thing for me to get adjusted to at first, as I had to face a lot of shots with the Blazers last year.
“I’ve been working a lot with (goaltender coach) Travis (Harrington) both on and off of the ice since I got here, and he’s really helped me a lot with the mental side of the game. The speed of the game is also a lot quicker and there’s more traffic in front of the net, so I’ve been focused a lot more on looking around the guys that are in front of me to get a clear look at the puck.”
He’s also benefited from splitting time with returning netminder Taryn Kotchorek, who had a 7-2-0-0 record and a 2.13 goals against average.
“We have a nice competitive and friendly rivalry between us,” Grzybowski said. “Taryn’s a really good goaltender and he’s done a great job of showing me the ropes here.”
The talented tandem have been a key part of the North Stars success, as they are currently on a six-game win streak and sit in second place in the SJHL’s Finning Division with a 14-5-0-0 record.
“Our main focus is to play well on defence and let the offence take care of itself,” Grzybowski said. “We want to limit the number of odd-man rushes that we give up, and when we do that, we’ve been able to come out with the win.
“We’ve really gelled together as a team, especially after we brought in Ben Allen and Coby Downs right before our win streak. They’ve really helped us out on offence and they’ve been a huge part of our success.”
Before he joined up with the North Stars, Grzybowski began the season with the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades, who signed him to a contract in January.
He picked up a win during an exhibition game against the Swift Current Broncos and was in the mix for a spot on the roster before the Blades acquired goaltender Logan Flodell from the Seattle Thunderbirds prior to the start of the campaign.
“It was a thrill to get play in a pre-season game,” Grzybowski said. “The shots that I faced from the older guys was definitely a step up for me, and it was a joy for me to get to face those players.
“My main focus right now is to help the North Stars win a title this year, but being able to play in the WHL on a regular basis is still in the back of mind for the future.”
Grzybowski and the rest of the North Stars will be back in action Friday night when they go on the road to face the La Ronge Ice Wolves.
They will return to the Civic Centre Saturday for a battle with the Humboldt Broncos, who are a point ahead of the North Stars in the standings.
