in Canucks history. Since DiPietro was born June 9, 1999, four goalies have made their first NHL start before turning 20: Rick DiPietro (Jan. 27, 2001), Dan Blackburn (Oct. 10, 2001), Marc-Andre Fleury (Oct. 10, 2003) and Jonathan Bernier (Sept. 29, 2007).
A third-round selection (No. 64) by the Canucks in the 2017 NHL Draft, DiPietro played for Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver and has played 30 games in the Ontario Hockey League this season, 21 for Windsor and nine for Ottawa.
DiPietro is the seventh goalie since 1995-96 to play in the Canadian Hockey League and start an NHL game in the same season. Each of the others in that span made came from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League: Bernier (2007-08 with the Los Angeles Kings), Fleury (2003-04 with the Pittsburgh Penguins), Maxime Ouellet (2000-01 with the Philadelphia Flyers), Jean-Sebastien Giguere (1996-97 with the Hartford Whalers), Marc Denis (1996-97 with the Colorado Avalanche) and Martin Biron (1995-96 with the Buffalo Sabres). Four other goalies during that span played a game in the CHL and NHL within the same season but did not start (Dylan Ferguson, 2017-18 with the Vegas Golden Knights; Alexander Pechurskiy, 2009-10 with the Penguins; Olivier Michaud: 2001-02 with the Montreal Canadiens; and Jose Theodore, 1995-96 with the Canadiens).
Prior to DiPietro, the last goalie to jump from the OHL to start an NHL game in the same season was Jamie Storr in 1994-95. Like DiPietro, Storr played for Windsor that season and 17 games for Owen Sound before joining the Los Angeles Kings for his first five NHL starts.