Hedican's mini goalie school

Tom Hedican (left) chats with Michael Swick during an on-ice session. Photo by Chris Dawson.

It's 9:45 a.m. on Monday, June 30th - only 2 hours into the summer hockey season in North Bay, and Tom Hedican is back on the ice. The European professional goalie consultant who also was the OHL Sudbury Wolves goalie coach last season is using his only month of summer vacation to help train two young goalies who Hedican hopes will have bright futures.

“Even though its summer I’m always happy to get involved with good people,” said Hedican.

One of his two clients is New Jersey native Michael Swick. The 19-year-old was cut loose by the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves last year but Hedican still kept in touch with him after his departure and helped get him a tryout with the Erie Otters this fall.

“Michael is a kid who was with the Sudbury Wolves for over a year and was released last year but had nowhere to play but continued to work on the ice and off the ice 6 days a week and I kept in contact with him throughout the season and tried to keep his spirits up,” said Hedican after their first ice session on Monday morning at Pete Palangio arena.

Swift hopes the summer training with Hedican will help resurrect the promising goaltenders career.

“Tom is great, he really knows how to coach the game I want to play and that’s what I’m here for,” said Swick about his summer goalie coach.

However, Hedican may have a soft spot for Swick for other reasons. You see the Wayside, New Jersey native lives only a few blocks away from the home of Hedican’s idol Bruce Springsteen – the man who is the inspiration to Hedican’s Coach4Food campaign.

“Swick’s father asked me to do some work with him this summer because he’s going to Erie Otters camp this fall so they sent him up from the great state of New Jersey – Springsteen’s hometown – how could I turn that down,” Hedican said, noting that Dr. Swick has already donated $250.00 towards next Decembers Coach4food campaign.

Diamond in the rough?

Hedican is also working with Trappers netminder Patrick Rochefort. Hedican loves Rochefort’s work ethic and was disappointed that he wasn’t chosen in the 2008 OHL draft this past spring.

“I can honestly say in all the years that I’ve been coaching I’ve never met a kid at his age that understands completely what it takes to get to the next level, he understands it completely, he’s willing to do anything you ask him to do and he’s just a great kid it’s a pleasure to see him at the rink and you know that in between he’s going to do everything you ask him to do and be prepared for the next session,” said Hedican who adds that he’s turned down many other personal goalie training requests.

Both goalies are working hard to push each other during their training sessions and perhaps one of them will become the new version of Cristobal Huet - the former NHL All-Star who honed his skills with Hedican in Switzerland and then moved on to the NHL.