Ex-coach on Canucks PTO invite Dylan Ferguson: 'We'll see the best version of him'

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Dan De Palma knows goaltenders.

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The long-serving Kamloops Blazers coach and Hockey Canada consultant knows what makes them tick, what will make them stick and invaluable intangibles to get them to the next level.

And he also knows this much: After guiding Dylan Ferguson for four WHL seasons, he believes the well-travelled and unflappable 25-year-old stopper is going to surprise and make the most of a pro tryout with the Vancouver Canucks when training camp opens Thursday in Penticton.

Even though he’s the final piece to provide six goalies for three camp groups while netminder Thatcher Demko continues a methodical rehab from an April 21 knee injury. And even though his NHL resume reads like a 2017 seventh-round pick by the Dallas Stars, traded two days later to Las Vegas, and just one game with the Golden Knights and two with the Ottawa Senators.

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“He’s really athletic and competitive,” said De Palma, who helped guide Team Canada to gold at the 2024 Under-18 world championship and Hlinka-Gretzky Cup. “Everybody is a little different in terms of their path, and if he’s going to make a push to be an NHLer, I think he’s in a good spot.

“A lot of it is a test of will. And he certainly has that. He has the drive and he’s certainly not a quitter. He learns as he goes and has matured and so has his game. If he’s given an honest look, he will surprise some people.”

Ferguson’s best WHL campaign was a 2.74 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage over 31 games in 2016-17 as a backup to starter Connor Ingram.

“When we first got him he was raw and just needed more structure,” added De Palma. “It paid off. And when we turned him loose, he was really good because he was easy to coach. Even to this day, he calls for advice and is always open to it. He’s really excited about this (PTO) and understands where maybe he didn’t embrace opportunities in the past.

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“We’ll see the best version of him in the next few weeks. He’s not afraid of the bright lights. Some of his best (WHL) nights were with the most pressure before big crowds and he thrives on that.”

The Vancouver native has played in four pro leagues — NHL, AHL, ECHL, KHL — and ridden a roller-coaster of being an emergency recall, not tendered a qualifying offer and keeping his career alive last season with Minsk Dinamo in Belarus after attracting little attention as an unrestricted free agent.

Ferguson compiled a 2.51 GAA and .904 save percentage over 23 games in the freewheeling KHL and that might be the best measure of getting his game in order. His average in three NHL outings is a 2.81 GAA and a .903 save percentage. His eventual NHL regular-season debut was stepped in some spooky drama.

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Ferguson was recalled by the Golden Knights on Halloween 2017 because the club has a rash of goalie injuries. On Nov. 14 in relief of Maxime Lagace, he gave up one goal on two shots in 9:14 before returning to junior. He then turned a PTO with the Toronto Maple Leafs at the outset of the 2022-23 season into a trade to the Senators. And after a 5-1-1 March run in the AHL, he was summoned and made a memorable first start for Ottawa.

In Pittsburgh, he backstopped a 2-1 victory with 48 saves for his first NHL triumph. Five days later, he took the loss in a 5-3 setback to the New Jersey Devils and was reassigned to the AHL with Cam Talbot returning from injury.

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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