OHL Draft: A Goaltending Tandem Of Prospects In Altiman and Vancoille
One reason the Chatham-Kent Cyclones were a hard team to beat in their U15 season was that it didn’t matter which goalie started.
Tre Altiman and Jake Vancoille were a solid tandem, each giving the Cyclones a chance to win every game, and that fact has both on the OHL Draft radar this year.
“I’ve played and competed to be drafted in the OHL. It’s been a goal of mine since I started playing hockey. It would be an honour to hear my name picked in the OHL Draft,” says Altiman, a Thamesville product who was a U15 Alliance All-Star.
“Getting drafted in June would be a dream come true. Growing up watching OHL games, it’s a league I’ve always wanted to play in,” echoed Vancoille, who hails from Point aux Roches.
It wasn’t the year either netminder expected. Especially after the strong seasons they had at the U15 level.
“The season wasn’t what I was expecting at all. This was the big year for my teammates and I as we were hoping to play against the top ’05 players and teams,” said Altiman, who was third in the Alliance last season with a 2.20 goals against average. “I wanted to showcase to other teams and scouts how I could play and how our team could compete at such a high level.”
Altiman has been focusing on his off ice training in Chatham during the down time with Peak Athletic Training.
“This is not the year I envisioned at all. It was disappointing to not play games as we had a good team that could have went far,” said Vancoille. “A positive I can take out of it is that I was able to work on parts of my game that I might not have been able to if there was a regular season. For this being my draft year it feels like it came quick. My whole hockey career I’ve been waiting for this year and it’s disappointing that we weren’t able to play this year.”
Disappointment aside, which is a feeling almost every player in Ontario felt this year to some extent, being drafted would make everything worth it for U16 players, including this duo of Chatham-Kent Cyclones goalies.
Should either player hear their name callaed at the June 4-5 OHL draft, the team that selected them will be getting a hard working, focused player.
“I hope to show an OHL team that I’m a hard worker and I’m able to compete at the OHL level and I can win them games and be consistent and reliable,” said Altiman.
“I’m a hard working player on and off the ice, a good teammate and always am willing to learn and get better. On the ice I am good at getting in position to make saves and tracking pucks,” said Vancoille.
With a lack of scouting this year, OHL teams could look to Chatham-Kent’s goaltending history in recent years. With recent Cyclones goalies including Brett Brochu and Joseph Raaymakers coming out of the community, there is nothing saying Tre Altiman and Jake Vancoille can’t be the next local impact netminder at the OHL level.