Written by: Tim Smith
Observer Staff Writer
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Wedgewood keeps plugging away on road to NHL | Observer and Eccentric Newspapers and Hometown Weeklies | hometownlife.com
Scott Wedgewood had just struggled, giving up five goals.
His teammates on the Plymouth Whalers scored seven, so the goalie could manage a smile or two in the locker room at Compuware Arena.
But the 2010 draft pick of the National Hockey League's New Jersey Devils didn't waste any time getting busy to be sharper next time out.
Sitting next to him and talking about the Dec. 3 game against Guelph was Stan Matwijiw, the Whalers' outstanding goaltending coach.
Matwijiw had spent the previous two hours scribbling down notes and observations gleaned during the contest and wanted to share those with “Wedgie,” in his fourth year with the OHL team.
“Me and Stan kind of talked a little bit, just get back to basics,” the 19-year-old from Brantford, Ontario, said. “Just about things I've been working on the past three years, four years coming into this year, like tracking the puck and getting set early.
“Checking off who's coming, who's on the rush, things like that.”
Communication helps.
Wedgewood and Matwijiw talk regularly, after games good or bad.
He listens closely, because his dream is to join a growing list of Whalers goalies who have graduated to the NHL.
The list includes, among others, Robert Esche, Jason Bacashihua of Garden City, Justin Peters and now Matt Hackett (now up with Minnesota).
“There's a lot of them that came out of here,” he said. “It speaks for this organization, it's not just us. It's the team that's in front of us.
“We always have a good team every year and make the playoffs every year.”
And Wedgewood (3.08, 13-5-3 in 21 games) knows he must bust his tail even more than ever to keep that run of success alive — and to lead by example for young backup goalie Matt Mahalak (Monroe).
“We just bounce things off each other,” Wedgewood said. “We just make ourselves better and we look out for each other.”
But the goalie tandem still needs encouragement and direction. After all, these are guys not even 20 years old yet.
It helps that those postgame pep talks from Matwijiw aren't one-timers.
“Every game he's here, we have a close relationship, me, him and Matt, we work well together,” Wedgewood added. “He writes down things he sees and what things we could be working on, we go over goals and give ourselves different options and work on things in practice trying to make ourselves better.
“He's done a great job with both of us and I owe a lot to him for my career.”
Keep grinding
One of the recurring themes is not to become complacent.
“Coming here the fourth year, it's hard to stay on your hard work ethic,” Wedgewood said. “It's your fourth year and things might get a little bit easier.
“The thing I had to learn and have learned is you got to work even harder to make yourself better.”
The undeniable work ethic and determination to improve is definitely paying off.
Besides being a New Jersey draft pick, Wedgewood found up last week he made the Canadian team for the International Ice Hockey Federation World Junior Championships (Dec. 26 through Jan. 5).
When he returns, besides having more hockey experiences to share with Mahalak, it will be time to continue backstopping the Whalers to another playoff spot.
He'll do it one shot at a time, one period at a time, one game at a time.
And the quest to get an NHL contract won't be a distraction.
“I'm not really in a rush to do anything,” he emphasized. “Things will work itself out. You just got to play the game.”
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