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Former Lakers All-Star goalie on the road to recovery

Dan Spence looking to bounce back after sitting out the entire 2015-16 season due to a hip injury.
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Before North Bay Battalion goaltender Jake Smith, and quite a while after the era of North Bay Centennials’ goaltender Alex Auld, was an epoch in local hockey history known as Lakers hockey, and, with it, the reign of goaltender Daniel Spence.

Born in Langley, British Columbia, Spence consistently punched above his weight, outplaying his peers at every level, demonstrating that particular focus only seen in elite goaltenders.  Coming out of bantam in 2003, he was drafted by the Calgary Hitmen and, despite a strong pitch to play Junior A in the BCHL, pursued the WHL route.

In Calgary, Spence logged an impressive regular season record of 77-49-3-6-2 while posting a goals against average of 2.46, setting several franchise records including most wins, games played, minutes played and saves.  Despite a razor sharp start to his overage season, Spence was dealt to the OHL’s Sarnia Sting, and arrived to lead a middling club into the playoffs.

At the end of a stellar junior career, Spence attended a pro camp with the Calgary Flames but was released, and was playing at Mount Royal University when he received a cold call from Nipissing Lakers’ head coach Mike McParland, a call that brought the goaltender back to Ontario, this time to North Bay.  Though he battled an injury at the outset, it didn’t take long for him to usurp the starter’s role from incumbent goaltender Matt Hache.

Spence soon became a dominant goaltender in OUA hockey, leading a surging Lakers to the upper echelons of the league, combining sound fundamentals with frequent highlight reel saves.

After university, Spence played professionally in Finland for Jokipojat, a Division 2 team, invited over by the team’s goaltending coach Juha Lehtola, where he put up solid numbers.  Since then, however, mounting injuries have created obstacles for Spence, and he parted ways with Asplöven Haparanda in the Swedish Allsvenskan league, returning to play a handful of games in the ECHL before shutting down for the entire 2015-16 season.

“Finland was great.  I learned how to be a pro there,” recalls Spence.  “Training camp in Canada is maybe two sessions a day, but over there it’s three workouts a day.  You have to catch up with it, and you learn how to battle through it.”

As he gears up for return to pro action, Spence continues to be a regular in North Bay, where he is a principal in 360 Goaltending, the goaltending academy that he runs during the off-season.  His teaching style draws inspiration from Dave Tataryn, the well-respected goalie coach, and Spence has discovered a growing appetite in the area for quality instruction for all ages, both boys and girls. 

His next camp begins on July 25th and runs for five days at Pete Palangio Arena, offering an elite full-day experience, including two-a-day on-ice sessions, dry land training and guest speakers.  Details can be found on his website, www.360goaltending.com

“When I offer a camp, my goal is to offer the best possible camp,” says Spence.  “We like to think it’s one of the best camps around.”

The motivating force behind Spence’s undeniable energy is a return to the pro ranks.  But it is clear he also has a passion for coaching, and recognizes that his many opportunities in life resulted from a life in minor and major junior hockey, and the supportive coaches he’s had along the way.

“Minor hockey was very good to  me,” said Spence, recently married and living in Barrie.  “I’d coach kids for free if I could.  I just want to give back.”