The hardest thing that Brad Mitchell has had to deal with as a practice goaltender with the Ottawa Senators hasn’t been Tyler Kleven’s slap shot, breakaways from Tim Stützle, or getting screened by Kurtis MacDermid.
No, the hardest thing he’s had to deal with happened on Wednesday, when he was whisked up to the podium in the Sens media room and had to answer questions from a room full of players and staff, who were posing as media members for the announcement that Mitchell would be the team’s new emergency backup goaltender (EBUG).
Staios and Mitchell took to the podium together, just like Thomas Chabot when he was named captain the day prior. The only problem for Mitchell was that he is not a fan of public speaking — and has yet to undergo media training like the rest of the team.
What a time for his first press conference.
“I didn’t know what was going on. I was like, ‘Did something happen that I didn’t know about?’” said Mitchell, who was on the ice with an injured player getting work in before the team practiced and was pulled off in the middle of a drill.
“I honestly had no idea what it was about. I didn’t know what to expect. I honestly had no idea what it was. I was completely blindsided by how they drew it up.”
Mitchell was told that general manager and president of hockey operations Steve Staios needed all of the team’s equipment personnel to help unload his truck. Instead, Staios was waiting in the media room to tell the team the good news.
“It’s unbelievable, to have the opportunity to do that,” said Mitchell. “Like, I don’t know… it’s crazy.”
The 24-year-old began tending the goal at Canadian Tire Centre at times when the team was on the road and injured players were skating back during the 2019–20 season, when he was still playing Jr. B with the Carleton Place Canadians.
He slowly took on more responsibilities with the Senators, and began working game nights as well, assisting the equipment staff. From there, it “snowballed” into a full-time role as a locker room attendant and practice goalie.
When the NHL and the NHLPA announced that teams would be required to carry a full-time EBUG beginning this season, he started to think about the possibility that it could be him, but tried to not overthink it.
“Kind of around playoff time, it was brought to my attention that I was actually one of the possibilities for the job, so it was like, kind of stressful, because I didn't know what was going on,” said Mitchell.
“I I was kind of told it was going to be me, but I had zero confirmation, and I was afraid I was getting in my own head about it and getting myself excited for something that wasn't actually going to happen.”
Now, it’s reality, and Mitchell will travel with the team to every road game this season. It wasn’t how he envisioned a path to the NHL, but it’s still just as sweet. If he could go back and tell himself while he was playing Jr. B that he’d one day have that opportunity, what would he say?
“I’d tell myself I'm crazy. I've been thinking about that a lot, now that it's actually official and I've signed the contract. I've been saying that, talking to my dad last night, and just keep saying it over and over again, just telling my nine-year-old self that I'd be doing this,” said Mitchell.
“Even back to junior, I’d tell myself that I'm crazy. It's pretty insane if you think about it, it's a dream come true, really. It's the closest I'll get [to being an NHL player].”
He’ll have to get used to the travel schedule, but Mitchell, who posted a 25-5-0 record, .912 save percentage, and 2.52 goals-against average across 37 games with Carleton Place, is also excited to keep working on his craft.
Now, it’s even more important than ever to stay on top of his game, in case the need ever arises to fill in during a game for the team.
“I'm still on YouTube watching goalie highlights for fun, just because I enjoy watching. If I’m not on the ice, or even if I am on the ice, waiting for my turn, I’m watching our goalies, seeing what they’re doing, because I still want to get better. I always will,” said Mitchell.
It’s unclear yet if his Elite Prospects status will ever change back to “active” from “retired,” but even if he never plays in a game for the Sens, he’s living his dream, being a part of the team.
“It’s always cool being out there, any time I make a big save and the boys are cheering, obviously a feel good… even how they drew it up yesterday, with Steve announcing it, all the players and staff took time out of their routine right before practice to all come up and sit in the room waiting for me to come up there.
“I can go on-and-on of cool things that the guys do that make me feel a part of the team, in a way. There’s endless kind of cool moments every day.”
