EVERETT — The Everett Silvertips acquired Thomas Heemskerk with the idea that he could become the team’s No. 1 goaltender.
Just when that will be is still to be determined.
Heemskerk, acquired via trade Tuesday, will join the team for the first time at practice today. However, Everett general manager Doug Soetaert said Heemskerk would not step into the No. 1 position immediately.
“He hasn’t played in three weeks,” Soetaert said. “He’ll come in and start practicing with the team, and when he feels capable of playing he’ll start a game. We expect him to be a top-end goalie. We’ll give him an opportunity to succeed and go from there.”
The Tips landed the 18-year-old Heemskerk from Kootenay in exchange for a third-round pick in the 2010 bantam draft. Heemskerk was 7-6-2-2 with a 2.88 goals against average and .887 save percentage with Kootenay this season.
“He’s a 1990-born, so he has two more years in this league,” Soetaert said. “We’ve done a lot of homework on him, I’ve watched a lot of video and I’ve talked to a lot of people who said he’s a very good goalie. We think he can be a No. 1 guy.”
Though he is joining the team today, Heemskerk will not play this weekend. Part of the reason for that is that Heemskerk hasn’t played since Nov. 28. He decided to leave the Ice in early December, stating that his heart was no longer in the game, and did not join any other team in the interim.
But despite Heemskerk’s previous comments, Soetaert said he wasn’t concerned about Heemskerk’s motivation.
“I’ve spoken to him and John (Becanic, Everett’s coach) has spoken to him and he wants to play,” Soetaert said. “I think a change will be good for him.”
Everett has had inconsistent goaltending this season. Nineteen-year-old Shayne Barrie, who’s technically the No. 1, has been up and down. Sixteen-year-old rookie Kent Simpson has been adjusting to the league.
The Tips hope Heemskerk can provide the consistency that’s been missing, though Soetaert was quick to absolve Simpson of any blame.
“By no means are we disappointned in Kent Simpson’s play,” Soetaert said. “A lot of people are saying we’ve had inconsistent play, but we do not expect Kent Simpson to be the No. 1 guy on this club. He’s played extremely well for us. There aren’t many teams in this league that can rely on a 16-year-old goalie to carry the club.
“Saying that, we’re looking for more consistency,” Soetaert continued. “Shayne’s had some good games and some average games, so we’ll see how things shake out in 10 days.”
Those 10 days are the amount of time the Tips have to sort out their goaltending overload. Currently Everett has four goalies on its roster: Heemskerk, Barrie, Simpson and Kraymer Barnstable. Barnstable was called up because Simpson is away at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge. Simpson is expected back following the weekend, at which point Barnstable will return to his junior A team in Nipawin, Saskatchewan.
However, the team will probably have to make another move before the Jan. 10 trade deadline. Teams are only allowed a roster of 25, and minus Barnstable the Tips still have 26. Also, teams traditionally carry just two goalies.
Nick Patterson’s Silvertips blog: http://www.heraldnet.com/silvertipsblog
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