The No. 1 item on Victoria Grizzlies general manager and head coach Craig Didmon鈥檚 to-do list this off-season is to find a No. 1 goaltender.
He might already be able to check that one off.
The Grizzlies announced Tuesday they have signed sought-after netminder Joe Howe out of Upper sa国际传媒 College in Ontario.
Howe, who turns 18 in June, is coming off a couple of strong seasons at Upper sa国际传媒 College and turned down the Barrie Colts, who selected him in the 2017 Ontario Hockey League draft, to come west into the Grizzlies鈥� den.
鈥淚鈥檝e had my mind set on playing NCAA Div. 1 hockey for a while now so when the Grizzlies came calling I didn鈥檛 hesitate,鈥� said Howe, who stands 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds and was named Upper sa国际传媒 College team MVP this season.
鈥淚 already know [Grizzlies forwards] Eddie [Yan] and Alex [Newhook] and they raved about the organization and the city, so I went for a visit last fall and loved the rink and the city so it was really a no-brainer.鈥�
The Grizzlies lost both of this year鈥檚 goaltenders as 20-year-old Kurtis Chapman graduated and 19-year-old Zack Rose moves on to NCAA hockey at Bowling Green University. So Didmon has been manning the phones in search of two netminders as the team looks to retool after making the sa国际传媒 Hockey League鈥檚 final four this season.
鈥淛oe has good size, is very athletic and protects his net and crease area well,鈥� said Didmon, whose club was eliminated in the third round of the BCHL playoffs by the eventual-champion Prince George Spruce Kings.
鈥淗e has also won in the past so we like that he brings that experience to our club, so he鈥檚 more than ready to step in and be a dominant goalie in our league.鈥�
Howe was born in Leicester, England, before his family moved to Ontario when he was three years old. After a strong Midget season for the Toronto Junior Canadiens, he moved on to Upper sa国际传媒 College where he played against the likes of Newhook (St. Andrew鈥檚 College) and Alex Campbell (Stanstead College), who are expected to be selected early in June鈥檚 NHL draft in Vancouver.
This season, Howe led his team to the semifinals at the national championship before bowing out to St. Andrew鈥檚.
鈥淚 feel I had a strong season and I鈥檓 ready for the next level,鈥� said Howe.
鈥淚鈥檝e heard the BCHL is a fast, offensive league but I think I bring speed post-to-post and I can handle the puck well, so I鈥檓 looking forward to having a good season in Victoria.鈥�
Howe had several Junior A opportunities in his home province but chose to head west to help chase down that NCAA dream.
鈥淚 asked around and everyone kept telling me, if you want to play in Junior A, the BCHL is the place to be, and you can鈥檛 ask for a better city to play in than Victoria.鈥�
