Chris Driedger has spent much of his career getting comfortable with the unfamiliar and adapting to different environments.
From the ECHL to the AHL and NHL, and most recently the KHL, the goaltender has played in different leagues and cities. Driedger is now getting an opportunity to settle into a new team with the Vancouver Canucks.
Driedger signed a Professional Tryout (PTO) agreement with the Canucks at the end of August after spending last season with Traktor Chelyabinsk in the KHL, where he appeared in 23 games and posted an 8-9-2 record with an .897 save percentage.
When his agent called about the possibility of a PTO in Vancouver, Driedger saw an opportunity worth pursuing.
“It's Canadian city, so that's exciting, and just a good opportunity,” Driedger said. “I know there's been some injuries here, and a team that needs some steady goaltending. So, my agent brought me the opportunity, and we just decided it made a lot of sense, and we're happy to be here.”
The 32-year-old arrived early to camp, something he has always enjoyed doing when joining a new team. He says an important part of the process for a goaltender coming into a new environment is to get comfortable with the goalie coach and teammates, and informal skates give him time to do that before training camp.
“I've always enjoyed coming to camp early and just getting comfortable,” Driedger said. “Marko’s [Torenius] been great, I Iike how he thinks the game, he's got a good process for how to allow goalies to play at their best. So, it's been good so far, and I've been enjoying it.”
While he’s getting used to some things, there are a lot of familiar faces in Vancouver. He’s crossed paths with Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko while they were both working their way through the minor leagues, while he and Kevin Lankinen have faced each other numerous times in both the NHL and AHL.
He has also played with a few of his new teammates, including defenceman Jamie Oleksiak in Seattle, and Jimmy Schuldt from their time together with the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Coming into this tryout, Driedger is feeling confident, relaxed, and ready to play his game. He looks at this PTO as a chance to bring back a mentality that helped him early in his career.
“It's definitely different. I think it's good for me right now, I kind of bounced around for a little while and it’s given me that underdog mentality,” he said.
“When I was coming up in the minors and my first few years in the NHL, that was my mentality. I was an underdog, no one expected me to be here, and I thought it really did wonders for my game and just got me to focus on the next thing. So, I'm trying to bring that that mentality back, it definitely feels like it, as no contract is guaranteed coming in on a PTO. So just taking it day by day and trying to work my bag off and make the team here.”
If there is one skill that Driedger has developed throughout his travels, it is adaptability, which he says comes with the territory of being a goaltender. Adapting also means building relationships quickly, which is just as important as adjusting to new systems or a goalie coach.
“As a goalie, there's only two jobs for the most part on teams, so things change fast,” he said. “You have to be able to go into a room, get along with the guys, get a good feeling going with your defencemen and get some chemistry going there. So, new goalie coaches, goalie partners, the whole thing. I try and always have good relationships with my goalie partners.”
Playing in the KHL last year provided a new experience both on and off the ice and pushed him to adapt to a different culture. It gave him an appreciation for the import players from Europe that come to play in the NHL.
“It was a great experience and a unique one that I would have never had if I didn't go play hockey there. So, I'm grateful for it,” he said.
Back in Canada with another opportunity, he’s focused on one shift at a time and working hard to see where it takes him.
