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“So, if you are going to be a smaller guy, your athleticism has to be through the roof and your mental side has to be, too. You need to beat the bigger guys in something and I think that’s where DiPietro makes up for it.”

It was a big year for smaller goalies in the NHL. Both Antti Raanta and Juuse Saros finished in the top 10 in save percentage and they have similar builds to the six-foot DiPietro. There’s a theory that a faster NHL game will realign how the league thinks about goalies and size.

It’s not something Cloutier was worrying about leading up to the DiPietro draft choice in 2017. What did was his will, or work ethic, and his mental toughness.

“Every goalie has different ingredients and no goalie is the same,” Cloutier said. “The two areas he’s really strong in are two important ones that I like.

“Those were the two main reasons, for me. Those are the qualities of a goalie that I tend to go after. You see a lot of the same qualities in Thatcher Demko. Those are the types of guys I get attracted to.”

Cloutier said it translates in a game when you see DiPietro’s push to never give up on a play.

“His mental preparation and toughness is up at the top and that’s what makes the difference between him and a 6-foot-2 guy or 6-6 guy,” Cloutier said. “You have to be that much better in those areas to make up for (the size), and those are two of his biggest strengths.”