Michael DiPietro

Michael DiPietro (born June 9, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Canucks in the third round (64th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Michael DiPietro
DiPietro with the Windsor Spitfires in 2017
Born	June 9, 1999 Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	201 lb (91 kg; 14 st 5 lb)
Position	Goaltender
NHL team	Vancouver Canucks
NHL Draft	64th overall, 2017 Vancouver Canucks
Playing career	2019–present

Playing career

DiPietro began playing hockey as a defenceman until he was nine years old when he switched to goaltender after watching his step-brother play the position.[1]

Prior to being drafted into the OHL, DiPietro played with the Sun County Panthers Minor Midget AAA team. During the 2014–15 season, DiPietro played in 21 games and posted a .862 save percentage.

DiPietro was drafted in the second round, 23rd overall, by the Windsor Spitfires in the 2015 OHL Draft.[2] During his rookie season, DiPietro had a 16–8–1 record while posting a save percentage of .912. He was awarded the F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy at the conclusion of his rookie year for being the rookie goaltender with the best goals against average, becoming the first Spitfires player to ever win the award.[3] He was also named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team.[4]

In his sophomore year, DiPietro helped guide the Spitfires to a Memorial Cup victory, posting a .932 save percentage during Windsor’s championship win. For his efforts, DiPietro was awarded the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy, named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team and the OHL Third All-Star Team.[5]

Prior to his junior season, DiPietro was drafted 64th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.[6] Unsigned by the Canucks, DiPietro rejoined the Spitfires for the 2017–18 season. In his junior season, DiPietro posted a 29–21–3–1 record with seven shutouts and a .910 save percentage. For his efforts, DiPietro was named OHL Goaltender of the Year[7] and to the OHL First All-Star Team.[8]

On May 31, 2018, the Canucks signed DiPietro to a three-year entry-level contract.[9] DiPietro began the 2018–19 season in the OHL after attending Canucks training camp.[10] On October 28, after a 4–1 win over the Owen Sound Attack, DiPietro set a Spitfires franchise record for most wins in Spitfires history with his 79th.[11] DiPietro started the 2018–19 season with the Spitfires, posting a .920 save percentage in 21 starts.[12] On December 4, he was traded to the Ottawa 67's in exchange for Egor Afanaseyev and drafts picks ranging from 2019 to 2023.[13]

On February 5, 2019, DiPietro was called up to the NHL on an emergency basis after starter Thatcher Demko was injured.[14] He made his NHL debut on February 11 in a 7–2 loss to the San Jose Sharks, stopping 17 of 24 shots.[15] By making his debut, DiPietro became the second youngest Canucks goaltender in franchise history, only being surpassed by Troy Gamble.[16] He was returned to the Ottawa 67's the following night.[17]

On March 18, 2019, DiPietro and teammate Cedrick Andree were announced as the co-winners of the Dave Pinkney Trophy for allowing the fewest goals against in the league. In 17 games with the Ottawa 67's, DiPietro had a 12–4–0–0 record with a 2.50 goals-against-average.[18] In the playoffs, DiPietro had a 13–0 record with the 67's before suffering an injury in the OHL finals, and did not return as the Guelph Storm won the OHL championship.

International play

After being a late cut from Team Canada's 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship roster,[19] DiPietro eventually made his World Juniors debut during the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships.[20] In the first game of the tournament on December 26, 2018, DiPietro recorded a shut-out in a 14–0 win over Denmark.[21] In Canada's final game of the preliminary round, DiPietro was named Canada's best player of the game in a 2–1 loss to Russia. He ended the preliminary round with a .957 save percentage.[22] On January 2, Canada was eliminated from the World Juniors tournament in a heartbreaking 2–1 overtime loss in the quarterfinals to Team Finland.[23]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season										Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	W	L	OTL	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%		GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2014–15	Sun County Panthers	AHMMPL		21	6	11	3	893	75	4	3.95	.862		9	4	4	404	17	1	1.89	.933
2014–15	Leamington Flyers	GOJHL		1	1	0	0	60	2	0	2.00	.905		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Windsor Spitfires	OHL		29	16	8	2	1,644	67	2	2.45	.912		3	1	2	190	11	0	3.48	.869
2016–17	Windsor Spitfires	OHL		51	30	12	6	2,935	115	6	2.35	.917		7	3	4	436	18	0	2.48	.917
2017–18	Windsor Spitfires	OHL		56	29	21	4	3,267	152	7	2.79	.910		6	2	4	342	16	0	2.81	.934
2018–19	Windsor Spitfires	OHL		21	11	8	1	1,241	48	1	2.32	.920		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Ottawa 67's	OHL		17	12	4	0	933	39	3	2.51	.897		14	13	0	844	33	1	2.35	.914
2018–19	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		1	0	1	0	60	7	0	7.00	.708		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Utica Comets	AHL		36	21	11	2	2045	95	1	2.79	.908		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Vancouver Canucks	NHL		1	0	0	0	8	1	0	7.16	.857		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				2	0	1	0	68	8	0	7.02	.742		—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	W	L	T	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2015	Canada Red	U17	4th		5	3	2	0	317	9	0	1.70	.929
2016	Canada	IH18	5th		3	2	1	0	179	6	0	2.00	.923
2019	Canada	WJC	6th		4	2	1	1	243	5	1	1.23	.951
Junior totals					12	7	4	1	739	20	1	1.62	.940

Awards and honours

Award	Year	Ref
OHL
F. W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy	2015–16	[3]
OHL First All-Rookie Team	2015–16	[4]
OHL Third All-Star Team	2016–17	[5]
OHL Goaltender of the Year	2017–18	[7]
OHL First All-Star Team	2017–18	[8]
Dave Pinkney Trophy	2018–19	[18]
Memorial Cup
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy	2017	[24]
Memorial Cup All-Star Team	2017	[24]
Memorial Cup	2017	[25]
Other
Canada Games gold medal	2015	[26]

References

1. LaBarber, Jourdan (June 21, 2017). "Draft notebook: DiPietro credits family for success in net". NHL.com. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
2. "SPITS AGREE TO TERMS WITH AMHERSTBURG'S DIPIETRO". windsorspitfires.com. May 19, 2015. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
3. "Spitfires' DiPietro earns F.W. "Dinty" Moore Trophy". Ontario Hockey League. March 21, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
4. "Alexander Nylander named OHL Rookie of the Year". Ontario Hockey League. April 18, 2016. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
5. "OHL Announces 2016-17 All-Star Teams". Ontario Hockey League. May 17, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
6. "Two Spitfires selected in NHL draft — forward Gabe Vilardi and goalie Michael DiPietro". Windsor Star. June 25, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
7. "Spitfires' Michael DiPietro Named OHL Goaltender of the Year". Ontario Hockey League. May 2, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
8. "2017-18 OHL All-Star Teams Announced". Ontario Hockey League. May 17, 2018. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
9. Canucks Media Relations. "Canucks sign goaltender Michael DiPietro". Vancouver Canucks. Retrieved May 31, 2018.
10. Wagner, Daniel (September 20, 2018). "Camp Cuts: Michael DiPietro heads back to the OHL to break some records". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
11. "Spitfires' DiPietro becomes winningest goaltender in franchise history". ontariohockeyleague.com. October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
12. Campbell, Don (December 4, 2018). "67's make biggest trade in franchise history by acquiring goalie Michael DiPietro". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
13. "DiPietro to Ottawa as 67's swing deal for Spitfires goalie". ottawa67s.com. December 4, 2018. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
14. "DiPietro called up by Canucks, will meet team in Washington". cbc.ca. February 5, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
15. Gemma Karstens-Smith (February 11, 2019). "Sharks shell Canucks as Michael DiPietro roughed up in NHL debut". cbc.ca. Retrieved February 12, 2019.
16. @PR_NHL (February 11, 2019). "Michael DiPietro (19 years, 247 days) is the second-youngest goalie in @Canucks franchise history, less than 3 weeks older than Troy Gamble (19 years, 229 days) was at the time of his first NHL start on Nov. 22, 1986. #NHLStats" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
17. Beneteau, Josh (February 13, 2019). "Canucks to return Michael DiPietro to OHL's Ottawa 67's". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
18. "Andree and DiPietro allow fewest goals against". ontariohockeyleague.com. March 18, 2019. Retrieved March 23, 2019.
19. John Chidley-Hill (December 16, 2017). "DiPietro tells Canada to win world juniors after being cut from team". ctvnews.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
20. "World Junior Championship rosters". NHL.com. December 26, 2018. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
21. Gemma Karstens-Smith (December 27, 2018). "Canada routs Denmark 14-0 in world juniors opener". cbc.ca. Retrieved December 29, 2018.
22. Wagner, Daniel (December 31, 2018). "Mikey DiPietro named best player of the game for Canada in World Junior loss to Russia". Vancouver Courier. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
23. McGran, Kevin (January 2, 2019). "Game Centre: Canada loses overtime heartbreaker to Finland". Toronto Star. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
24. "2017 Mastercard Memorial Cup Awards & All-Stars". Canadian Hockey League. May 28, 2017. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
25. Parker, Jim (May 28, 2017). "Spitfires complete improbable run at Memorial Cup". Windsor Star. Retrieved May 18, 2018.
26. The Canadian Press (March 1, 2015). "Ontario tops Alberta hockey gold at the Canada Winter Games". The Sports Network. Retrieved May 18, 2018.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database