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A few months ago, Curtis Sanford was coaching minor hockey.

Saturday, it looked like he had one of the most critical jobs in the Vancouver Canucks organization.

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Maybe he does.

Photo by Dave Reginek / PNG

Late in the offseason, Sanford was plucked out of Owen Sound and placed in his first coaching job in pro hockey, hired by the Canucks to oversee their goalie prospects.

And for the first time in a long time, they have at least two good ones.

Sanford was working with both Thatcher Demko and Michael Dipietro Saturday during an on-ice session with the Canucks Young Stars. It’s a portent of how much of his season will go too, as he’s set to visit Demko in Utica often while keeping tabs on Dipietro in the OHL.

Dipietro is the wild card of the two, a third-round pick and Memorial Cup winner whose personality whips around you like he’s a blustery wind and you’re a flag pole.

Demko is the more polished one, the Vancouver goalie widely considered to be, well, next. Overwhelmingly, people not only believe he’ll be the Canucks starter in 2-3 years, they think he’ll be a star. Meeting him in person won’t change the mind of anyone who believes that.