Undaunted. Undeterred. Unwavering.
That’s Niagara IceDogs goaltender Stephen Dhillon in a nutshell.
The 20-year-old persevered through early setbacks in his Ontario Hockey League career. He pressed on as three National Hockey League drafts came and went without his name being called. And, if given the opportunity, the 6-foot-5, 203-pounder would never leave the crease.
“He’s been mentally tough through it all, the good times and the bad times,” asserted Bob Janosz, who was named IceDogs goaltending coach in February and has worked with Dhillon at his goaltending school since the netminder was 8 years old. “He has the ability to bounce back after a not-so-great game with a good game. I’ve never seen him string together poor games back to back, which is a trait of all great goalies. He stays focused on the task at hand. I know he’s wondering why he wasn’t drafted or hasn’t been signed, but my focus with him is just to keep on winning, and hopefully things will take care of themselves.”
