Hangin’ out with … Allen Americans’ goalie Jeremy Brodeur

Key facts

Teams: Allen Americans (ECHL), Oshawa Generals, Shattuck-St. Mary’s

Hometown: Essex Fells, N.J.| Pos.: G | Catches: Left | Size: 6-1, 195 | Age: 21

Notable: Made pro debut with the ECHL’s Allen Americans in 2017-18, finishing rookie season with a 15-13-4 record, 3.15 GAA, .917 save percentage in 39 games. Appeared in one Kelly Cup playoff contest. Received call-up to San Jose Barracuda (AHL) but didn’t play in a game. Played three seasons (2014-17) with OHL’s Oshawa Generals, winning OHL title and Memorial Cup in 2015, finishing with a 70-40-10 record, 2.81 GAA, .909 save percentage and 11 shutouts in 124 regular-season games, and a 6-6 record, 3.82 GAA and .896 save percentage in 16 playoff games. Spent three seasons (2011-14) at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School.

Favorites

Food: “Chicken parm. I’ve had it too many times in my hockey career not to like it.”

Movie: “The Internship”

TV show: “Entourage”

Cartoon: “SpongeBob SquarePants”

Actor: Zac Efron

Actress: Mila Kunis

Musician: DJ Tiago

Book: “The ‘Harry Potter’ series.”

Vacation spot: Dominican Republic

Practice drill: “Two-on-one drills.”

Type of save: “Cross-crease saves.”

Favorite goalie mask (excluding family): “I really like Ben Bishop’s masks.”

All-time hockey memory: “The 2010 Olympic gold-medal game (between the United States and Canada), when Sidney Crosby scored in overtime for Canada.”

Equipment

Mask: Bauer | Glove: Bauer

Blocker: Bauer | Pads: Bauer

Pants: CCM | Skates: Bauer

Stick: “Sher-Wood. If I can get Bauer, I use Bauer, but right now I’m using a Sher-Wood.”

What is your earliest hockey memory?

“My earliest hockey memory is going to Anaheim during the 2003 Stanley Cup finals for my dad’s team (Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils). I remember flying back and forth for the whole series, hanging out with my brothers, and watching all the games in Anaheim.”

Before you became a goaltender, you started out as a forward, just like your dad and your oldest brother, Anthony. What happened that caused you to be a goalie?

“My first year of travel hockey I played forward with my twin brother (William). Anthony was the goalie on our team that year. I only scored one goal. I said, ‘All right. I’m goalie now.’”

Was it a good goal at least? “Oh, yeah! A wraparound.” (chuckles)

What does it mean to you to be a goalie, following in the footsteps of your dad, your grandfather Denis, and Anthony?

“I grew up around hockey, going to National Hockey League games, and having them to look up to as motivation. I chatted with my dad this year and he helped and guided me through my first pro year. We didn’t have the same path, but I enjoyed my first pro year, and he was making sure I was doing things right along the way.”

What was the biggest piece of advice you received from him?

“He said, ‘Just make sure you get better every day. There are going to be times when you’re not playing, but you have to make sure you’re always finding some way to improve.’”

Going back to your childhood, do you have a memorable moment from playing hockey with your brothers?

“It wasn’t ice hockey; we were playing floor hockey with mini sticks. William broke my finger because I let in a goal against Anthony and his friend. He was mad at me because it was a bad goal and the game was now tied.”

What did playing at Shattuck-St. Mary’s School mean to you and your career?

“It meant a lot. I went from playing goalie in Bantam B straight to Shattuck, and it was a completely different caliber of hockey. It was like a big wall hit me — it was real hockey now. My first year, I didn’t struggle, but I didn’t have the best year, as I wanted to. My third year I finally played the way I wanted. When you can get on the ice every day and you’re living around the team and stuff like that, it definitely helps everyone develop. We had a lot of good guys on our team during my three years there. It was a really great school for development.”

How would you say you developed while playing for the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals?

“I was very fortunate to be with a high-end organization. I had coaches who trusted me. I played 54 games my second year and 51 my third year. Being able to get in a lot of games really helped my development, and having coaches who trusted me and put me in so many games as well, was a really big part of my career. All in all, Oshawa is what made me into who I am today.”

You didn’t play in the 2015 Memorial Cup when the Generals won it, but what did that experience mean to you, and what did you learn from it?

“Oh, that was really overwhelming! It was a real close city atmosphere. We were playing three other teams, in other leagues, that we didn’t come close to seeing before, so that was fun. Honestly, I was more nervous than if I was actually playing in those games. Just watching them from the bench was enough for me.

“We ended up going to overtime in the last game, and one of my buddies, Anthony Cirelli, scored the winner. That was one of the best feelings; I was almost in shock when we won. That’s something that not too many people get to experience, so it was a really special moment.”

You’ve attended some NHL development camps. One was with the Devils in 2014, when your dad had just finished playing with them, and another was with the St. Louis Blues in 2015, right after your dad was named their assistant general manager. What was it like to have him there watching you and, at the same time, learning the professional ways while seeing a higher level of competition than you were accustomed to facing?

“The one in New Jersey was different because I was a little younger. I went to the one in St. Louis after my first year of junior. Even though I didn’t have the best camps, I still felt OK and in place. I always liked having both my parents watching my games, so it was a lot of fun being able to do something of that caliber in front of him.”

You played against his Blues at the Traverse City Prospects Tournament in 2016 with the Columbus Blue Jackets. What was that experience like?

“That was funny because I could see him out of the corner of my eye sitting on a balcony in the corner, looking at me all the time. It was fun. You could tell even though I wasn’t playing for his team he wasn’t rooting against me or anything. He was pretty happy. It was a really fun time.”

You’re coming off your first season as a professional with the ECHL’s Allen Americans. What did you learn the most about yourself from that first game of the season all the way through the playoffs?

“I learned that you have to get used to the pace of things. I lost my first (start in overtime) and faced 50 shots, but I was scrambling all over the place, falling all over to make saves. Toward the end of the season — the last 10 games — I felt I was able to control the pace of the game a little more than I did in the first 10.”

How does your style compare to your dad’s and Anthony’s?

“We all play different. We are all different size and build. My older brother is a couple inches shorter and he plays a little more stand-up. I think I have more of a wider stance. My dad just had his own style (chuckles). I don’t really try to implement any of that into my game, but if it happens, it happens, I guess.”