The Calgary Flames opened up their development camp Wednesday, and it had a local feel.
Brody Hoffman, from Wilkie, is one of 44 total prospects and one of the five goalies at the camp.
"Just kind of a mixture of nerves, nerves and excitement," Hoffman said, as he was on his way to Calgary Tuesday.
He will have to step up his play to compete with an impressive list of prospects, but pressure isn't anything new to Hoffman.
Last season, as a rookie playing NCAA hockey with the Vermont Catamounts, he had an 11-19-8 record with a 2.86 goals against average and .904 save percentage. More impressive was the work load Hoffman handled. He became the first Vermont goalie since Tim Thomas in 1996-97 to start every regular season game. Hoffman was also the only rookie in the NCAA to play every game.
He's on a try out agreement, meaning he currently isn't property of the Flames organization, so he will need to perform that much better than some of the other players.
"A rush of emotions. It's rewarding that I was able to get this opportunity, but then at the same time [I] had to bear down and try to get in shape and get ready for this week, because it will be a big step, but it will be a big opportunity at the same time," Hoffman said.
As determined as he is, Hoffman's success started with the dedication of his parents, and it paid off in the end.
"They were just as excited as I was. They're just proud and they've been supportive all the way through, and I couldn't have done it without them," Hoffman said. "I just always keep them in the back of my mind. The early mornings 20 years ago, getting me up and getting to the rink and stuff like that. I couldn't have done it without them."
Any opportunity to crack an NHL roster is a remarkable opportunity, but the Calgary Flames might have the most ideal philosophy for a player like Hoffman.
Not only is Calgary in a rebuilding phase, looking to start over with young players, but they've been known to take chances with less well-known players.
In 2012, Calgary used its first draft choice on Mark Jankowski, a centre from Stanstead College. The team picked him 22 spots ahead of where he was projected to be drafted. In 2013, two of Calgary's top three picks were used on Emile Poirier and Morgan Klimchuk well ahead of their projected draft positions.
What this means for Hoffman is, if he impresses the Flames brass, he has a legitimate chance to walk out of camp with a contract, because the team isn't worried about getting the highest profile prospects.
"It's always nice that they have scouts and eyes everywhere as opposed to just the major junior level," Hoffman said. "They just had a great draft, they had all those first round picks and stuff, but it's nice that they're kind of on the upswing and they're looking to bring in a young core as opposed to just complementary pieces. That's something that might fit me better than some of the more developed organizations that are contending for the cup right now."
Awaiting Hoffman at the development camp will be some familiar, but not so friendly faces.
Johnny Gaudreau and Jon Gillies both play for rival teams in the Hockey East division.
"It's always interesting to actually meet those guys in person and actually play with them as opposed to play against them," said Hoffman.
While he's looking forward to seeing them in a different situation than he's used to, it won't be all fun and games. Gillies is a fellow goalie, and a highly touted one, so Hoffman will be competing against him with the same level of intensity he's used to in college hockey.
A strong performance could put him on the radar for a future in the NHL, or at the very least, the American Hockey League or ECHL. That's a hard thing for Hoffman to imagine, and certainly something he wouldn't have believed when he was 15.
"I kind of got frustrated when I was a teenager. Didn't get drafted in the bantam draft and then my first year of midget I didn't make AAA," Hoffman said, reflecting on the adversity he faced leading up to this point in his career. "I was given a great opportunity at Fort McMurray to finish my junior career and got lucky the coach there, Gord Thibodeau, had some good connections and was able to get me a chance to go to school and just trying to keep working hard and see where it takes me."
His struggles from his teen years are long behind him now and he'll be fighting tooth and nail for a professional hockey contract.
Hoffman did eventually play AAA in the Battlefords with the Stars when he was 16.
"That was a learning experience for me, just stepping up to the AAA level and as you step up each level [there are] weaknesses of your game exposed and it was a good year for me mentally. We didn't have a really strong team but as a goalie, getting that much work and learning to work hard in practice and play through cold streaks and stuff like that was something that I needed," he said.
Hoffman paid his dues in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, too. He spent two years with the Nipawin Hawks. While his numbers weren't terrible, it was when he was traded to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons that Hoffman really hit his stride. His 29-7-3 record to go along with a 1.90 goals against average and .929 save percentage established him as a goalie worth paying attention to.
Now, the Wilkie product just needs less than one week of good hockey and he can call himself a professional hockey player.
