The deal is finalized and Mike Stiliadis couldn't be happier than to be wearing the silks of the Victoria Grizzlies for the 2012-13 hockey season.
Picked up from the Oakville Blades of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League in exchange for defenceman Stefan Gonzales, Stiliadis is excited about beginning the next chapter in his career in Victoria, where he has settled in with grandparents Bill and Blanche Jeffers.
"It's an honour to be here, and I'm happy to be out here," the 18-year-old netminder said during practice on Saturday, a week after he arrived on the Island. "I was lucky because Victoria was the team I was interested in."
Having had permission from the Blades to skate with the Grizzlies, the slight six-foot, 160-pounder carried his weight and then some in Tuesday's 4-1 exhibition win against Nanaimo and through training camp.
"As a goalie coach, I think he has a lot of potential," James Gaertner said. "He's still young. He's good. He reads the puck really well and handles it well, too. He'll do well for us, I'm sure.
"If I had to compare him to a guy in the NHL, it would have to be [Pittsburgh's] Marc-Andre Fleury - not in the playoffs last year, but how he played on his Stanley Cup run," Gaertner said. "He's very calm in his net.
"He moves well, is solid in his coverage, and he reads the puck well on top of that. His reaction and tracking is very good."
He's now playing where he wants to be after posting a 14-5-1 record in Oakville last season with three shootout losses, four shutouts, a 2.65 goalsagainst average and .923 save percentage - all very good numbers. He previously played with the Georgetown Raiders of the OJHL and went a spectacular 11-0-0-1 with a 2.80 GAA and .909 percentage in 15 games.
But the Woodbridge, Ont., native was more than ready to move on.
"I knew the BCHL was a great league compared to the OJHL. It's nice to finally get it done," Stiliadis said of the deal. "I was looking for a better opportunity. I'm settled in now, so everything is good to go."
Asked what his expectations are, he replied: "I expect to win."
"Hopefully, we can put together some wins and put together a great season. I can't wait to get the season started."
The Grizzlies will play their final exhibition game today at 1 p.m. against the Powell River Kings at Bear Mountain Arena.
The team is at 25 roster players, but Stiliadis and Brady Rouleau are the only goaltenders remaining, so that decision has been made.
"I think we'll have one of the stronger 1-2 punches in the league," Gaertner said.
But the Grizzlies, as a whole, must get down to 22 players soon.
"The challenges we're faced with now, as a staff, is putting 22 players together and making those decisions and commitments heading into opening weekend," said general manager and head coach Bill Bestwick.
"Clearly when you narrow it down to this stage, everyone on the ice can play Junior A hockey in our league - period.
"It's a numbers game now. It's a shell game to see who fits with the best balance on size, age, position, who shoots left or shoots right.
"This is the worst weekend probably for every coach in the BCHL, when you have to make these very tough decisions and move kids on who really want to play Junior A hockey," he added. [email protected] Twitter/tc_vicsports
