Article content

It’s the latest edition of the weekly tracker, where we tally up the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks’ highest-profile prospects:

Mike DiPietro

We felt for the kid. We really did.

When DiPietro was thrown into the deep end in February against the San Jose Sharks, Vancouver fans recoiled as each San Jose goal crossed the red line.

It was a case of goaltending mismanagement on the part of the Canucks and we all knew it. They did too.

The 19-year-old wasn’t ready, no matter how eager he was. No matter how decorated his junior career had been, no matter how much we all wanted him to succeed.

After the game, he said all the right things. It was an honour to play his first NHL game. It was a learning experience. He would be better the next time around.

Still, some worried about his psyche going forward. How would he respond in his next professional start?

That question was answered on Wednesday as DiPietro, now 20, started his first AHL game of the season and saved 16 of 18 shots as the Utica Comets crushed the Syracuse Crunch 6-2.