Nearly a month removed from the game which saw Canada eliminated from the 2019 IIHF World Juniors, goaltender Michael DiPietro admits the quarterfinal loss to Finland remains at the forefront.
“I don’t stop thinking about it. It’ll pop up at random times,” DiPietro said. “It’s definitely still in my mind. You know when a series of events happens like that, it’s definitely hard to move on and really find the positives.”
Canada held a 1-0 lead with 46.4 seconds remaining in the third when Eeli Tolvanen bounced a puck off of Aleksi Heponiemi’s leg and under the arm of DiPietro to tie the game. Then in overtime, Toni Utunen beat DiPietro with a shot that appeared to deflect off Cody Glass, sending Finland to the semifinals.
Despite the early exit, DiPietro was happy with his personal performance in Vancouver. The 19-year-old finished the tournament with a 2-1-1 record, .951 save percentage, 1.23 goals-against average and a shutout in four games.
“It was a great experience. I was really happy with my performance and really proud of how I kind of handled the pressure,” he reflected. “It was definitely a fun tournament for myself to play in. It was great to play with a lot of friends and a lot of buddies.
"Obviously not the result we wanted, but I look back with fond memories and a dream come true.”
Michael DiPietro makes a BIG save to keep #Canada in the game! #WorldJuniors #CANvsRUS pic.twitter.com/SMXUzWJlLC
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) January 1, 2019
With the tournament in Vancouver, the Canucks 2017 third-round selection left an impression on the team's large scouting contingent, including director of goaltending Dan Cloutier.
“[I was] real pleased with the way he’s approached the tournament and [with] the way he approaches every game — he’s very strong mentally,” Cloutier commented. “He’s shown that.
“Even if it’s the first game or a do-or-die type game, he always plays the same. That’s what really attracted us to him in his draft year.”
Now back in the Ontario Hockey League with the Ottawa 67’s, DiPietro admits he’s seen the video of the quarterfinal loss; however, it also led him to deactivate his Twitter account.
“I’ve seen a few highlights of it. I actually deleted all my social media. You can’t find me on it,” explained DiPietro, who along with his girlfriend, deactivated Twitter roughly two weeks ago. “It’s just better for myself and my overall game. Nobody likes reading positive or negative things about them ‘cause you’re never as good as they say you are and never as bad.
"I think if I just keep things simple, keep it in front of me and have a less crowded mind, in the future and the long run it’ll pay off.”
The 6-foot, 205-pound netminder pointed to his team’s 9-6 win over the Oshawa Generals last Friday where he surrendered six goals on 38 shots as an example of why he decided to jump off social media -- noting his critics would be out in full force on Twitter following a performance like that.
“I didn’t have Instagram for a while, but finally deleted Twitter and it’s just something I was really happy to do,” DiPietro, who went as ‘@miketendy’ on Twitter, explained. “It’s just something that can be used as a crutch and weigh people down or bring people way too high up.”
While he heard from his share of critics on social media following the Jan. 2 loss to Finland, DiPietro also heard from other members of the goaltending fraternity including Florida Panthers netminder Roberto Luongo.
Luongo has had his share of ups and downs on Rogers Arena ice — winning gold with Canada at the 2010 Olympics and then losing Game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final with the Canucks.
“I got a text from Roberto Luongo, so it was actually pretty cool," DiPietro told Sporting News Canada. "To speak to Bobby Lu for at least a text or two was really cool. Definitely brightened my spirits a bit. No matter who you talk to, it’s still going to stink but when you have the support and the reach out like that, it’s definitely pretty cool.
“(He) has had a phenomenal career and he’s a great athlete so it was definitely cool for myself.”
A native of Amherstburg, Ont., situated 40 minutes south of Windsor, DiPietro was originally drafted by the Spitfires. He spent the first three and a half seasons of his junior career with his hometown team and helped the Spits win the Memorial Cup in 2017.
Though he expected a trade would come this season it happened sooner than expected. On Dec. 4 he was traded to the Ottawa 67s and the timing of the move caught DiPietro off guard.
“At that very time, I didn’t really think I was going to get moved then,” he noted. “Maybe after World Juniors or something. Looking back at it, it was an emotional time, obviously for myself and my family but I think it was the best thing for me. I got to iron out some kinks here with my game.
“I feel good in the net, I feel big. Just got to tidy a few things up and it’ll be good.”
DiPietro is now focused on helping his 67’s make a deep run in the OHL playoffs. Ottawa is currently the top team in the league, two points ahead of the London Knights.
In 27 games this season between the Spitfires and 67’s, DiPietro is 15-10-1 to go along with a .911 save percentage. His 2.56 GAA is third amongst OHL goaltenders behind Buffalo Sabres’ prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2.44) and teammate Cedrick Andree (2.50).
The 19-year-old also has a pair of shutouts this season. His second, in a win over the Peterborough Petes Jan. 18, saw him pass Thomas McCollum for the top spot on the OHL’s all-time shutouts list (17).
DiPietro having himself a weekend 👏@Canucks prospect sets #OHL shutout record Friday, sensational again Saturday in @Ottawa67sHockey comeback win. pic.twitter.com/ffGQLDPumX
— OntarioHockeyLeague (@OHLHockey) January 20, 2019
Prior to entering his fourth OHL season, DiPietro said his on-ice goal was to improve his positioning.
“Trying from a high stance to a low stance, my preparation stance needs to be better [and] being on pucks earlier, not really pulling up off of them,” he said. “It’s all about tidying up your game and getting ready for the pro game.
"The pro game is going to be tighter. It’s going to be against more defence and less Grade-A [chances]. When you get the Grade-A [chances] here you try to learn from [them] and try to work on those things.”
Though his focus is in Ottawa, and on the task at hand this season, DiPietro admits he has his sights set on playing professional hockey next season.
“Obviously I want to turn pro next year; I think I’m ready,” he said. “I did what I did in the OHL and obviously I want to continue to build my resume ... I feel like I’m ready to make the jump, but I’m just focused on having a good rest of the season and a great summer. Who knows what happens at camp.
“I’m not going to set myself limitations, but I’m not going to set myself too high expectations either. I’m just going to take it day-by-day and really just focus on evolving my game for the pro game and making sure I’m ready to make the jump mentally and physically.”