Danis turns heads in first year as Bulldogs goalie
Apr 5, 2005 18:31:49 GMT -5
Post by Deleted on Apr 5, 2005 18:31:49 GMT -5
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HAMILTON (CP) - Of the many traits Yann Danis has shown in his first year as the Hamilton Bulldogs starting goaltender, his resiliency has told the most about his game.
The best example of Danis's mental makeup came back in late January. Already a touch fragile at the time, he had arguably his worst performance of the season when he allowed three goals on nine shots on home ice to the Rochester Americans, and got the hook from head coach Doug Jarvis.
The very next game, in a big divisional matchup against the Syracuse Crunch, Jarvis gave Danis another chance.
The 23-year-old goalie stopped all 36 shots in a 3-0 shutout win and Hamilton hasn't really lost too many games ever since.
"When I got pulled, it was the second time in three games and coming back with a shutout definitely helped the confidence," said Danis. "It was obviously a turnaround. Every time I have an average game or a game that I could've done better, I always try and bounce back. I like to think that I'm capable of doing that."
For the past couple of months, the first-year goaltender hasn't had to bounce back much, as his stellar play has translated into a record-breaking season for the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.
Danis recorded his 25th win of the year last Saturday, once again blanking the Syracuse Crunch 3-0, with a 43-save outing.
The 25 wins eclipsed the franchise mark set by Jean-Francois Labbe (1997-98) and Steve Passmore (1998-99), while the shutout was his fifth, also tying the team's season record set by Eric Heffler (1999-2000).
"I had no idea," Danis said of the marks. "I found out about it a few weeks ago. It's an honour because they've had a rich history of goalies here."
Danis - who was undrafted and signed as a free agent by the Habs in March 2004 - is no stranger to records. In his four years at Brown University of the ECAC, he set the bar high, topping the school's list of goalies in total wins (43), shutouts (13), save percentage (.930) and goals against average (2.20).
The St. Jerome, Que., native immediately made a splash in the AHL following his standout college career when he came up to Hamilton for a couple months and got a shutout in his first pro start ever (3-0 over the Toronto Road Runners on March 28, 2004). And since he's begun to get the lion's share of minutes in the Hamilton goal, Danis has continued to put up great numbers, which has caught the attention of some important folks in the organization.
"When guys out of college or come from Europe and are used to shorter schedules, the first year is usually an adjustment year for them, having the travel and playing 80 games," said Montreal head coach Claude Julien. "I think Yann Danis has handled himself really well.
"We like the way he's focused. He's calm, he doesn't get rattled and he doesn't get carried away with all of the stuff that's happening around him. His focus is very good for a guy in his first year."
Danis split time with Dallas Stars prospect Dan Ellis in the first half of the season and admits to a few technical problems that were hurting his game.
Fortunately, the Hamilton goalies have benefited from the expertise of Canadiens' assistant and former NHL netminder Roland Melanson. Danis, in particular, has made some major strides since working with him.
"He's been around a lot, he's helped me a lot with my game," Danis said. "Little things, nothing major. At one point early on in the season I was getting beat high glove and I worked on having my glove higher and playing on top of my crease. Back in college, I could afford to play a little deeper but here, guys obviously have better shots so we worked on being more aggressive.
"Also, playing the puck - that was probably my biggest weakness coming in. I've improved. I've got a lot of work to do on that still."
Said Julien: "When your goaltender starts making saves look easy, it's because he's well-positioned. Rollie, I know, has worked a lot with him in that area. He just seems to be square to the puck all of the time."
That sound fundamental base coupled with a strong mind has helped Danis flourish in the second half of the campaign, which has incidentally coincided with Hamilton's climb up the standings and into a playoff position.
The longer professional schedule has yet to affect him and Danis credits the early time split with Ellis and an ever-improving Bulldogs defence for keeping him fresh through a stretch where every game has been a do-or-die situation.
He's had to adjust to the quicker, more accurate shooters at the AHL level but the stint in Hamilton at the end of last season also aided that development.
"Coming here last year for two months, I only played two games but I was practising with the team every day," said Danis. "That helped me a lot coming into this year."
The organization has been impressed with his progression and if Danis is able to maintain that ability to learn and adapt, the Quebec native might just have a future in his home province. With Jose Theodore still nearing his prime, the goaltending position doesn't appear to be a worry for the Canadiens' brass whenever the NHL regulars return to action. Yet Danis could eventually get a shot with Montreal.
"There's no doubt, he's a great prospect," said Julien. "Those kind of things you base on what you see and I think that progression has got to continue. There's no doubt, he's got a lot of qualities to be an NHL goaltender.
"Where he fits in our hockey club, time will tell."
HAMILTON (CP) - Of the many traits Yann Danis has shown in his first year as the Hamilton Bulldogs starting goaltender, his resiliency has told the most about his game.
The best example of Danis's mental makeup came back in late January. Already a touch fragile at the time, he had arguably his worst performance of the season when he allowed three goals on nine shots on home ice to the Rochester Americans, and got the hook from head coach Doug Jarvis.
The very next game, in a big divisional matchup against the Syracuse Crunch, Jarvis gave Danis another chance.
The 23-year-old goalie stopped all 36 shots in a 3-0 shutout win and Hamilton hasn't really lost too many games ever since.
"When I got pulled, it was the second time in three games and coming back with a shutout definitely helped the confidence," said Danis. "It was obviously a turnaround. Every time I have an average game or a game that I could've done better, I always try and bounce back. I like to think that I'm capable of doing that."
For the past couple of months, the first-year goaltender hasn't had to bounce back much, as his stellar play has translated into a record-breaking season for the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens.
Danis recorded his 25th win of the year last Saturday, once again blanking the Syracuse Crunch 3-0, with a 43-save outing.
The 25 wins eclipsed the franchise mark set by Jean-Francois Labbe (1997-98) and Steve Passmore (1998-99), while the shutout was his fifth, also tying the team's season record set by Eric Heffler (1999-2000).
"I had no idea," Danis said of the marks. "I found out about it a few weeks ago. It's an honour because they've had a rich history of goalies here."
Danis - who was undrafted and signed as a free agent by the Habs in March 2004 - is no stranger to records. In his four years at Brown University of the ECAC, he set the bar high, topping the school's list of goalies in total wins (43), shutouts (13), save percentage (.930) and goals against average (2.20).
The St. Jerome, Que., native immediately made a splash in the AHL following his standout college career when he came up to Hamilton for a couple months and got a shutout in his first pro start ever (3-0 over the Toronto Road Runners on March 28, 2004). And since he's begun to get the lion's share of minutes in the Hamilton goal, Danis has continued to put up great numbers, which has caught the attention of some important folks in the organization.
"When guys out of college or come from Europe and are used to shorter schedules, the first year is usually an adjustment year for them, having the travel and playing 80 games," said Montreal head coach Claude Julien. "I think Yann Danis has handled himself really well.
"We like the way he's focused. He's calm, he doesn't get rattled and he doesn't get carried away with all of the stuff that's happening around him. His focus is very good for a guy in his first year."
Danis split time with Dallas Stars prospect Dan Ellis in the first half of the season and admits to a few technical problems that were hurting his game.
Fortunately, the Hamilton goalies have benefited from the expertise of Canadiens' assistant and former NHL netminder Roland Melanson. Danis, in particular, has made some major strides since working with him.
"He's been around a lot, he's helped me a lot with my game," Danis said. "Little things, nothing major. At one point early on in the season I was getting beat high glove and I worked on having my glove higher and playing on top of my crease. Back in college, I could afford to play a little deeper but here, guys obviously have better shots so we worked on being more aggressive.
"Also, playing the puck - that was probably my biggest weakness coming in. I've improved. I've got a lot of work to do on that still."
Said Julien: "When your goaltender starts making saves look easy, it's because he's well-positioned. Rollie, I know, has worked a lot with him in that area. He just seems to be square to the puck all of the time."
That sound fundamental base coupled with a strong mind has helped Danis flourish in the second half of the campaign, which has incidentally coincided with Hamilton's climb up the standings and into a playoff position.
The longer professional schedule has yet to affect him and Danis credits the early time split with Ellis and an ever-improving Bulldogs defence for keeping him fresh through a stretch where every game has been a do-or-die situation.
He's had to adjust to the quicker, more accurate shooters at the AHL level but the stint in Hamilton at the end of last season also aided that development.
"Coming here last year for two months, I only played two games but I was practising with the team every day," said Danis. "That helped me a lot coming into this year."
The organization has been impressed with his progression and if Danis is able to maintain that ability to learn and adapt, the Quebec native might just have a future in his home province. With Jose Theodore still nearing his prime, the goaltending position doesn't appear to be a worry for the Canadiens' brass whenever the NHL regulars return to action. Yet Danis could eventually get a shot with Montreal.
"There's no doubt, he's a great prospect," said Julien. "Those kind of things you base on what you see and I think that progression has got to continue. There's no doubt, he's got a lot of qualities to be an NHL goaltender.
"Where he fits in our hockey club, time will tell."
