The North Bay Battalion are in the midst of their orientation camp in which fans of the Powassan Voodoos will take a keen interest in. A handful of Voodoos players were on hand on a busy Saturday doing their best to impress the Battalion brass, none more so than goaltenders Joe Vrbetic and Christian Cicigoi the 1A and 1B between the pipes for Powassan.
The tandem contributed to the Voodoos success last season, one that ended with a sweep, although tightly contested, at the hands of the eventual NOJHL champion Hearst Lumberjacks in the East Division Finals.
The case to be made about the imposing Joe Vrbetic is the pedigree. He was drafted in the 2nd round, 31st overall in the 2018 OHL Priority Selection and he backed it up with a strong showing in Powassan last season. For the stats geeks out there, in 30 games played, he had 16 wins, 9 losses, 2.80 goals against average and a .928 save percentage. In English terms, a very good season.
“The thing with Joe is that he is a big, calm kid,” Battalion Assistant coach Adam Dennis, a former goaltender himself, said of Vrbetic.
“Very rarely does he get rattled. He approaches the game the same way night in and night out, and it’s his calmness that you don’t see too often in a young goalie which is a special trait to have. It really breathes confidence into your team.”
Of course with results and the draft positioning, big expectations often come along with them. Expectations can be a serious weight for anyone, let alone a 16 year old. So how does he manage the expectations?
“You just work,” Dennis said when asked on the subject.
“You can complicate the position as much as you want, but you can’t worry about anything but yourself in this position. For Joe, he has a taste of junior hockey now, he’s played playoff hockey, he had a little taste of our level and he’s been to practice with us. We expect him to continue to take steps and be ready.”
“I listen to everyone," the young goaltender said of the expectations on himself.
“I try to stay humble and just play my game. I need to play my best and make sure that they were right about their thoughts on me and have fun with it.”
An area of strength for the Battalion might just be goaltending when one sits down and looks at it. Christian Propp can return as an overager, Christian Purboo, who was his back up and barring a trade, will most likely be back in green, then there is Vrbetic and Cicigoi along with later picks Reece Proulx, Owen Wray and William Nguyen. So what do the Troops want to see from Vrbetic to separate himself from the pack?
“They want to see more confidence, fitness testing results and I need to improve my game for training camp and make sure I need to work my hardest and if I improve, that’s great,” the unflappable Vrbetic said.
“There are definitely some areas where he can improve on in his fitness,” Dennis echoed.
“His mentality is great however. Quiet confidence is an important trait for a young goalie. You need to believe in yourself, because why should anyone if you don’t? You need your teammates to believe in you and more importantly you need the other team to be worried about you and he gives off that impression.”
Not to be left behind however is Cicigoi who also authored a fantastic season in Powassan. 17 wins, 10 losses, and not to mention 3.01 goals against average and .917 save percentage. Again, in English, very good.
“Cheech” as he is affectionately known, is somewhat a veteran at these events now, after being taken in the 6th round, 103rd overall in the 2017 OHL priority selection.
“This is my third time around,” Cicigoi said before scrimmage.
Of course with this being his third time, he might be running out of rope due to age, just don’t tell him that.
“It might be in the back of my mind, but I’m just looking to take it one day at a time. I’m going to work real hard this summer and I am looking forward to camp in August.”
“There is probably a lot of urgency on the players front.” Dennis elaborated.
“This age group in particular, guys want to get to the finish line as soon as possible. Everyone’s path is different however, we saw that last season with Justin Brazeau. This game is all about survival and if you can get through the hardships and rise above it, that’s when you become the ultimate hockey player.”
That’s not to say Cicigoi is out of favour with the team, far from it. The realistic aspect is there are only 2 jobs on the team and 40 league wide.
“He’s a student of the game. He works his butt off on and off the ice,” Dennis said when asked about Cicigoi.
“He wants to be a hockey player real badly. He is a guy that we value highly and I think he is ready to take the next step. Cheech is a sponge out there and as a coach it keeps me on my toes. I know if he’s on the ice, I’m going to get twenty questions about different techniques, about where to be in situations.”
“I’m just trying to be the best I can be,” Cicigoi added.
“I’m trying to pick up the little details, my confidence is really high right now.”
Both Cicigoi and Vrbetic are supportive of one another, even if they are in constant competition for the crease either in Powassan or a spot on the Battalion this fall and credit one another for making themselves better while battling for number 1 in net.
One thing is for certain, whether it’s with Powassan or North Bay this season, fans will be tuning in with high expectations on both. After talking to them, it’s safe to say they will try to exceed them.
