Swayman focused on future with Bruins

Take it one shot at a time.

Jeremy Swayman knows that mantra is the key to his success, the roadmap to the future he envisions in the NHL.
The 21-year-old's ability to stay in the moment, no matter how big, allowed him to save more shots (1,099) than any goalie in the NCAA Division I this season, and on March 18, he
signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins
after being selected by them in the fourth round (No. 111) of the 2017 NHL Draft.
But Swayman also credited much of his success to the constant reinforcement of a similar philosophy adopted by Alfie Michaud, his goaltending coach at the University of Maine the past three seasons: Be where your two feet are.
"Alfie helped me so much with that," Swayman said this week from his home in Anchorage, Alaska. "Focusing on being where my two feet are at any given moment, not making a game bigger than it is, and keeping things simple. The greatest thing I learned was if you focus on the moment and do your job where you are at any given time, you're going to get to where you want to be in the pro ranks."
Where he wants to be is with the Bruins, who currently have veterans Tuukka Rask and Jaroslav Halak under contract. But each can become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2020-21 season, and Dan Vladar, the current No. 3 goalie for Boston, can become a restricted free agent after this season.
That potentially opens the door for Swayman, who as a junior this season went 18-10-5 with a 2.07 goals-against average and .939 save percentage, which was second in the NCAA to Dryden McKay of Minnesota State University, Mankato (.942), won the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA's top goalie, and was one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to the player voted the best in NCAA men's ice hockey.
"He's very dialed in and has all the earmarks of what should be a good pro," Bruins goaltending coach Bob Essensa said.

If focusing on his feet was the biggest evolution in Swayman's approach during his three seasons with Maine, exactly where he placed those feet on the ice was the biggest change in his technical approach, what he called a "steady arc of improvement."
By being more conservative with his initial positioning, Swayman found himself chasing the play less and letting the game come to him, adjustments that should translate to the increased speed of the professional game.
"Truthfully, I did get extended a lot and I would end up doing a big butterfly slide, and then I'd end up outside the post when it just really wasn't necessary, because I do have a big frame (6-foot-2, 187 pounds) and I know I can cover the net without extreme acrobatic movements" Swayman said. "So basically just finding my posts and understanding if I put my glove just an inch outside of my body, it's covering the angle, and it got to a point where I could literally visualize it and I knew where to be on angle and I didn't have to be outside my crease necessarily."
Michaud, who also left the University of Maine after his junior season to sign with the Vancouver Canucks in 1999, has helped Swayman use his size more efficiently and to regroup, even during a game.
"There's days, you don't always have you're A-game, so you have to figure it out mentally, and that's something I probably never figured it out until I was 32 or 33," said Michaud, who played two games for the Canucks in 1999-2000, the beginning of a 15-year career that spanned nine leagues and five countries. "He has a great compete level, he's a great athlete, a great skater, but there were times he was really extended on pucks. When he's extending now, it's got to be for a reason and not just to do it to look flashy."

One of the things Swayman said he's learned is that if the game feels too fast, or he doesn't feel in control of the action, sometimes taking a half step back into his crease can slow things down.
To Michaud, Swayman's ability to learn comes from his willingness to try new things and his openness to feedback. Swayman is not averse to talking strategy and tactics during a game, often accepting advice while grabbing water at the bench during a TV timeout.
"It's a no-brainer to get different opinions and perspectives during the game because you see a lot from the goal crease, but you don't see everything all the time," Swayman said.
That outlook has provided Swayman with an ability to relax -- he will wink at a camera or pose for a selfie with fans -- and enjoy the big moments in a game, something he hopes to have the opportunity to showcase in Boston someday soon.
"He's one of those guys that can leave the game for those split seconds but be able to come back in and refocus and go perform, and that takes a special cat to do that," Michaud said. "He's got a little bit of [Martin] Brodeur in him as far as just loving the game of hockey and being able to separate in between whistles to kind of enjoy the moment."