Rick DiPietro
They say that when Rick DiPietro was made they broke the mold and the Islander’s are betting as such. They drafted DiPietro at the tender age of 19 in an uncharacteristic first round draft pick. This stemmed from his amazing performance on the team for Boston University. The Islander’s were so impressed that they traded away another hot prospect to ensure that they could land this super hot goaltender.
The team was highly criticized for putting the younger player between the pipes when the rest of the team was staggering around dazed and confused to begin with. The main critics believed that his tender years would not be kind and the team would undoubtedly fail in the early season. They were to say the least sadly mistaken.
Rick DiPietro shows extreme confidence on the ice, and that confidence is only matched by his overall skill. Unlike many of the goaltenders that you see, DiPietro is a talented puck handler and light on his feet. He is known to have a flair for the dramatic, an attribute that the team leaders would like to see toned down just a bit.
Besides puck handling, DiPietro is highly skilled with the glove but many of the team members say that he lacks the superior communication skills to go with his talents. Team leaders are working on his ability to communicate with the defense men during hot play to round out his already impressive abilities. Mental Goaltending Home Page
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