Nicola Riopel can best be described by two words: perseverance and dedication.
The Moncton Wildcats' goaltender could have listened to the critics who wanted to crush his National Hockey League dream, instead, the 19-year-old spent last summer in the gym and watching video, determined to make his fourth season special.
"The only thing I want to be focused on is my play," Riopel said. "(My chance) is going to come one day but I don't want to be worried about that."
It's hard to argue with success. Riopel is one of the top goaltenders in the league this season with a 1.75 goals against average and a 0.940 save percentage heading into Friday's action. His play is one of the main reasons his team is enjoying their best start in franchise history after missing the playoffs in a rebuilding season.
The Wildcats opened the season without a regulation loss in their first 19 games, setting a Québec Major Junior Hockey League record for most road wins to start a season with 10 while recording a point in each of their first 20 games.
At the center of the team's success is the undrafted and unsigned goaltender that was also overlooked for the recent ADT Canada-Russia Challenge.
"It just shows what kind of character he has," teammate Randy Cameron said. "He went through those setbacks and he still continues to dominate right now. I'm sure things are going to work out really well for him this year the way he's playing."
Although he was not drafted, the 6-foot, 167-pound goaltender didn't slip completely through the cracks. Riopel was invited to the Montreal Canadiens' rookie camp last summer which opened his eyes for what he needed to accomplish in order to advance his career.
"I think that was really good for his confidence," Wildcats head coach and director of hockey operations Danny Flynn said. "I think he saw that he's not that far away from being a pro goalie and really the dream is getting clearer all the time for him."
"This year he's playing to his full potential," Cameron added. "He's stolen a lot of games for us to be quite honest… He's definitely been a major part of our success this year."
Cameron said one of the reasons Riopel has enjoyed success this season is due to his preparation and unfailing dedication. Cameron sits behind Riopel on the team's bus for road games where Riopel watches the same night's game on a laptop to review areas of improvement and success.
"Even if he has a shutout that game, he's still watching video," Cameron said.
Riopel first began watching game tape last season after road games. He also watches tape after home games, usually reviewing the game the next day on the league's site.
Riopel was humble when asked about his post-road game routine.
"Sometimes when you have seven hours (on the bus) it's pretty boring," he said.
Flynn rejoined the Wildcats last season after moving up to the NHL's New York Islanders as an assistant coach. He was the head coach in Moncton the previous year, Riopel's first season in the league.
Recognizing Riopel's talent and potential, Flynn gave his goaltender a vote of confidence by giving him the starting job this summer. After splitting time with Charles Lavigne last season, Flynn traded the overage Lavigne to the Québec Remparts.
"We just felt, looking at our team, that Rio was 19 and really ready to emerge as a premier goaltender and enabled us to use those valuable overage spots to shore up other areas," Flynn said.
Flynn was in Lake Placid, N.Y. earlier this month attending the Four Nations Cup. While there, it became clear Riopel's play this season was grabbing attention in the scouting community.
"There was a tremendous number of NHL scouts there and I had a number of people ask me about Rio," Flynn said. "He's had a tremendous season and for my money, at this point in time, you can make a case that he's been the best player in the league. I think his play has opened National Hockey League scouts' eyes."
It's surprising to Cameron, a draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, that it has taken Riopel so long to receive the recognition. After having attended NHL camps the last two off-seasons, Cameron doesn't see any drop off in talent from the goalies at camp compared to his teammate in Moncton.
"From what I've seen my last few years at camp, he's right there with all the goalies I've played against and played with at NHL camps," he said. "There's no doubt in my mind he has what it takes to be an NHL goalie or an NHL prospect."
"He's very focused, he's very dedicated, he's very committed to being the best he can be and it's great to see someone who puts so much into something get his just rewards," Flynn said. "If Nic continues to improve, and I know how committed he is, I think he has a chance (of playing in the NHL)."
If Riopel can one day realize his dream of playing in the NHL, he will look back upon his perseverance and dedication as two reasons why he was able to achieve his goal.
