Devon Levi discovers the ups and downs of life as a young professional goalkeeper. For the second time in as many seasons, he will have to perfect his game with the Rochester Americans, in the American Hockey League (AHL), after a start to the season below expectations with the Buffalo Sabres.
Where some might see it as a lesson in humility, the 22-year-old Montrealer sees it as an opportunity.
“It’s an opportunity to play. It’s an opportunity to be with guys that I really like. “It’s an opportunity to improve,” the goalie said in an interview with LNH.com, a few hours before his match against the Laval Rocket on Wednesday.
“The mentality is the same whether I’m in Buffalo or Rochester. I want to get better every day, play and win every game, and then be competitive. If I succeed, the results will be happy. You have to be patient. »
The Sabers have judged that Rochester, for the moment, would be more conducive to achieving its goals. Asked at the start of the week, head coach Lindy Ruff indicated that his goalkeeper “had to play matches”.
This season in Buffalo, Finnish Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen took the lion’s share with 11 starts (6-4-1; 2.83; .903). Levi notably spent periods of 15 and 13 days without getting a start. A destabilizing pace, admits the goalkeeper whose performance suffered. He’s won just two of the seven games he’s played, and his .870 save percentage is one of the worst in the NHL.
“I don’t shy away from a challenge like this. I rather want to enjoy it. It’s something I’ve never experienced. You have to find a way to maintain your game from match to match, even when you don’t play often. I just learned it, it’s a good lesson. »
Senegal
