QA with Jared Coreau

Lincoln Stars goaltender Jared Coreau has consistently been underestimated by many throughout his young career, but at least one person at key steps along the way has seen his potential and given him a chance to make the jump. Coreau was cut by a local Triple-A organization every year going into midget minor hockey, but Harrington College recognized his potential and offered him a spot and he went on to become the American East Hockey League's goaltender of the year for 2007-08. Coreau received sparse playing time with the Peterborough Stars of the Ontario Junior Hockey League in 2008-09, but NCAA D1 schools still recognized his talent and he received a full-ride scholarship from a CCHA school. Similarly, Coreau's 2009-10 season - with his 7-22-4 record and .882 save percentage - was underwhelming statistically, but it seems impossible that no NHL scout saw Coreau in one of his strong outings with the Stars and came away pondering how good a 6-foot-5 netminder with quick crease movements, a calm in net, and an eagerness to learn and improve, could become over the next five, six, or seven years (it took Jimmy Howard how long to become a full-time NHL netminder?). Despite statistics in his draft year that appear sub-par on paper, Coreau has as much upside as any USHL netminder eligible for the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, and thus he has a legitimate shot at selection in Los Angeles come June and taking a seemingly improbable next step in his burgeoning career.

McKeen's correspondent Kevin Wey sat down with Coreau before the end of the season for an interview and discussed the netminder's year in the USHL, his perseverance through limited playing time in the OJHL, his life-changing opportunity with Harrington College, his commitment to Northern Michigan, his chances for the 2010 Draft, and his favorite goaltenders past and present.

McKeen's: First off, what is the proper pronunciation of your last name?

Coreau: CORE-oh.

McKeen's: Ah, more emphasis on the first syllable. Well, the season is almost over for you. Looking back, how do you feel the season has gone for you?

Coreau: In terms of development, it's gone really well. The coaching staff, Nick Fouts and Jimmy McGroarty, they've been pushing me to get better in certain aspects of my game - keeping my glove high, working harder pushing across the crease, lateral movement, things like that - and confidence in games has gone way up. Despite being behind a team that, you know, we work hard and everything, things just don't go our way, but we still work hard, I still find a way to keep pushing on even though we only have five games left.

McKeen's: Obviously, you guys didn't let up any of the 60 minutes last night.

Coreau: No, that's for sure. Yeah.

McKeen's: As you touched upon, it's been a difficult year for the Stars, and you've also already touched on this, too, but what are some of the things you're able to take moving forward from a season that, as far as wins and losses go, hasn't been so great?

Coreau: Well, I got lots of shots. But, I really learned the true meaning of team. This team will take a bullet for anybody on the team. They block shots for me, we play for each other, anyone will stand up for anyone after a cheap hit. Anyone will fight, even our 16-year-olds like Dominik Shine. Things like that. And work ethic. When I got here (pauses)… I mean, I worked hard, but I definitely picked it up a lot more once I got here. Jimmy McGroarty is all about hard work, and hard work pays off, and that's what I've been hearing from scouts, that the people that make it are the people that just work hard.

McKeen's: Last season, you played in the Ontario Junior Hockey League. What were the biggest adjustments for you coming into the USHL from the OJHL and how do the two leagues compare?

Coreau: The biggest change was screens. Last year, for me to see the puck was easy. I could see around people. It wasn't much of a challenge. I got here, and there's bigger guys and there's more of them in front me, and I found it was hard to keep track of the puck. Also, the speed in this league is a lot faster. In comparison, though, there's a lot of the same things. There's a lot of creativity coming into the offensive zone, not just dump and chase. We're big on creativity, and the team I was on last year as well.

McKeen's: That's interesting. What was the biggest difference on why there's so much more traffic in the USHL than in the OJHL?

Coreau: Well, I think in this league, you're not going to score the pretty goals. You're not going to dangle and snipe all the time. Last night, I'd say four of our six were just going to the net and ramming it home. So, I mean, that's really big. Last year, we had like five 20-goal scorers and they were just pulling around guys and sniping. This year, it's definitely a lot different. You have to work a lot harder for goals, but I think screening in front of the net is big, because you have to pick up rebounds to score the dirty goals.

McKeen's: On the topic of the OJHL, it kind of split into two different leagues, into the Central Canadian Hockey League and an OHA A, or whatever it is now. What was your reaction to that?

Coreau: Well, I didn't know I was coming here before they were talking about it, so I wasn't sure where I was going to end up, because Peterborough, the team I was on, they were going to keep their starting goalie and I was going to be traded. So, I wanted to be traded to stay in that same loop of teams, because that's like the "super league," they call it. So, I was definitely a little nervous if I got traded to a team that wasn't in that when they split up. I didn't really know who would be in it. But, then I ended up getting traded to the "CJ," the Central Junior Hockey League. Then I ended up coming down to camp here and made this team.

McKeen's: What team in the "CJ" were you going to play for?

Coreau: Kanata Stallions.

McKeen's: Okay. I think you kind of answered this a little bit, but last year your stats with Peterborough were pretty good, but you didn't play a lot of games. So, what was the situation in net last year and how did you feel last year went for you?

Coreau: Last year definitely was tough, not playing much. The first goalie that I was behind for the first half of the season, Matt Cadieux, he was a really good mentor for me. He was about a year and a half older. We talked about the game and things like that. He was a really good goalie and I learned a lot of things from him. Then, when he got traded, I kind of thought maybe I'd get to step up more and play a lot more, but they brought in this local boy. I'm not tearing him down or anything, Zach Fryia, he had some good games, but there were a lot of times where he just couldn't get the job done against some of the teams that we should beat on a regular basis. I actually played less once he got there. So, it was definitely difficult sitting on the bench and watching. I just kept working hard in practice.

McKeen's: Unfortunately, there's not much you can do at that point. About the most you can do is say (imitating goaltender Denis Lemieux from Slapshot), "Trade me, right…", and I'm sure you know the rest of the quote. Going back to this season, you touched on this as well, but what areas of your game do you feel have improved the most and how and are there any areas, being that it was a difficult season, that have taken a step back?

Coreau: There was a week when my goalie coach from Ottawa came down here, and we touched on a few things that McGroarty thought I needed to work on, and he was right. Keeping my glove up higher is definitely a big thing. I always tended to keep it down low and tried to block with my shoulder. So, keeping that up has allowed me to glove the puck more. But, also a bigger thing is keeping my butterfly a little bit more narrow in order to angle the shot so that when it hits me, it doesn't hit my stick, it goes into the corner. Before, I'd open that right up and just try to cover as much net as possible, but I found out that from here over (demonstrates) is past the post. So, I really wasn't covering anything. So, definitely that, and rebound control is pretty big in this league. There's guys driving the net all the time. If you don't control it, it's usually in the back of your net.

McKeen's: Moving forward, what areas of your game do you feel you need to continue to focus on to take your game to the next level?

Coreau: Playing the puck is a big thing. Last year, guys wouldn't come in as aggressive. This year (pauses)…, and I know next year when I go to school, they'll definitely come in a lot more aggressive. I have to be quicker when I get out of the net to make a play. Also, I tend to slide a little too far sometimes. On the backdoor play, I might slide out of the net. Even if I make the save and the rebound is there, I'll keep sliding. So, just control on that slide. I've gotten a lot better at seeing the puck, but it's still something that I've got to work on. As you go up, guys get bigger and more traffic in front of the net for sure.

McKeen's: Do you think it's easier as a tall goalie to track the puck or harder? Or does it depend on the shot?

Coreau: Yeah, for the most part, I kind of look over guys, but maybe smaller goalies, the more I think about it, maybe they're down lower and they crouch more and they can see around legs and stuff. But, yeah, it's a pro (positive).

McKeen's: We've talked about improvements, but what would you say are the strengths of your game in net and, for people who haven't seen you play, the style that you play?

Coreau: Strengths? Definitely rebound control. I've worked on that ever since I started, keeping pucks in the corner and things like that, and being aggressive in my net and cutting down angles. So, be aggressive and cut down any net that's showing at all, then just save the puck and the "d" will clear if they're doing their job, and they have for the most part this year. And, I'm a butterfly goalie. I'm pretty big down low. I can keep my body up and my shoulders are just below the crossbar. So, if I'm a little deep in my net, it's going to take a pretty good shot to put it over my shoulder.

McKeen's: Yeah. Most of the guys in this league are some sort of hybrid of butterfly and standup, but then there's Jeff Teglia (of Omaha). He does his own thing.

Coreau: Yeah. He puzzles me, but he stops the puck. It's not pretty, but he stops it, and that's truly all that matters. That's one thing that I learned at goalie camp. It doesn't matter how you look. If you can stop the puck, you can make a living.

McKeen's: Jeff's like a throwback. He's almost like an 1980's goalie. Instead of Bill Ranford, Jeff could have filled in for the game play as Jim Craig in Miracle. He's doing double-pad stacks and glove saves down here (demonstrates making a glove save along the ice).

Coreau: Yeah, it's nuts. He's really active with that glove.

McKeen's: Prior to playing in the OJHL, you played with Harrington College, and you guys were in the American East Hockey League, short-lived. You were named Goaltender of the Year in that and First-Team All-Star. So, what was the AEHL like and how did that compare to the OJHL?

Coreau: Oh, well, that's an independent (pauses)… they called it a junior A league, but it was, like, junior B.5. It wasn't actually junior A. There were a lot of skilled players, and there were players that got scholarships out of there. But, my goal going into that season, I wanted to be the top goalie. Some would say I set them a little too high, but I got it, which is nice. Just like in this league, there's some teams that you can play against and they're just rough, they just try to hit you, and then there's finesse teams. It was fun. I enjoyed that year, boarding school, traveling every weekend on buses.

McKeen's: It kind of got you ready a little bit.

Coreau: Yeah. Then, coming into the "OP" (old reference to the Ontario Provincial Junior Hockey League, which became the Ontario Junior Hockey League), it was definitely a step up, but it wasn't anything that scared me. It wasn't anything that set me back.

McKeen's: Looking at the results, it seemed like you guys were pretty much the dominant team in that league. You weren't part of all of that, but you guys had two championships, and you guys had Igor Kravchuk and Vince Riendeau as coaches, and, of course, Riendeau's right up your alley. Was he able to coach you all three years?

Coreau: No. He came for, probably, three months, and then he had a guy that filled in for the rest of the season. He's actually the hardest goalie coach I've ever had. He'd work you until you drop.

McKeen's: Reindeau or the second guy?

Coreau: Both of them. They had this thing called the "Alan Drill." You'd go one pad down, then the other one, and you'd keep doing that, and they'll shoot pucks at you, just getting like 20 pucks at the blocker and trapper. It was ridiculous. I went to his camp, and there's people puking. There was one guy that fainted, he worked it so hard. The one thing that I liked about that was I brought some of that stuff into my summer training and, yeah it's good for a goalie to work on his technique most of the time, but sometimes I think you need good conditioning, to do stuff like that to get the legs burning.

McKeen's: Right, that will hopefully help you load up and push off and get to that side, and especially when you load up and stop mid-slide. That takes a) strength and b) hip flexibility that would have prevented me from being a good goalie.

Coreau: That's something that I can definitely work on, leg muscles. But, also, one thing that it helps, when I do that, is long penalty kills, because you're crouched down like this, your legs and arms get heavy. So, it's definitely helped me to maintain that position for longer periods of time.

McKeen's: What was the name of the guy that worked under Vince?

Coreau: That's a good question. I can't remember. He played over in Europe. He played pro, some team in Italy, but he always talked about how he scored a goal.

McKeen's: With Harrington, what made you decide to go there and how important was that decision looking back?

Coreau: Well, in minor midgets (pauses)… well, before minor midget I'd never played Triple-A hockey, I'd always been cut. They got me to a Chowder Cup in Boston, they had a team in there. I played for them and I had a pretty good showing and they offered me a spot on the team. So, I thought here's my chance, because the team I always tried out for in Triple-A, they were always pretty biased. They had the same goalies for five years. I went there, the education was good, boarding was good, and made some really good friends from all over the world, like from Japan and New Zealand and stuff. We were a traveling Triple-A team, and that definitely helped me. First, it was kind of like, "This is good hockey," because I'd never played it before. But, just practicing every day, every day of the week, and then games on weekends, it was probably the best choice I ever made. I met a lot of important people like Igor [Kravchuk], he's got contacts, and Vinnie Riendeau in the Q (QMJHL), and Michel Valliere my second year, he coached Gatineau, their goalies. He helped me out a lot and started talking to people. In a way, he's part of the reason why I'm here today, because he got me looked at by teams' scouts.

McKeen's: Yeah, local politics sometimes (pauses)… was that your local hockey organization?

Coreau: Yeah. Well, they're in Ottawa. There's no Triple-A teams in Perth, it's 6,000 people. So, yeah, the Ottawa Valley Titans. They cut me, I think, five or six times.

McKeen's: I don't know who the other goalies were, but I suspect you'll probably show that things are on your side. I've read that you had some expectations before the USHL Draft of being selected, but you went unselected. Tell me a bit about that and how it was you came to Lincoln and not some other team.

Coreau: Well, I went to the USHL Showcase in Chicago, and I had a really good showing. I think I had two or three shutouts and three goals against in five games. I was with another guy, we both did really well, and I was talking to Bob Turow, he's (pauses)…

McKeen's: The USHL's scout.

Coreau: Yeah. He said, "Yeah, you'll be drafted this year." I went home, and I remember the day of the draft, I think I was at school, and my dad was filling me in, that the first round's done, second round, and I remember I called him, and he said, "There's a girl that got drafted."

McKeen's: I missed that.

Coreau: Yeah, yeah. There was a girl (Alex Rigsby) that got selected by Chicago. And, so I'm like, "What (pauses)…in the world." My mom was getting e-mails for, like, rookie camps from, I think, Sioux City, Sioux Falls, Youngstown. But, the thing I liked about Lincoln is that Jimmy actually called me on my cell phone. It was a personal touch. He filled me in on Lincoln and that "we'd like you to come to our camp." He was honest. "There's no guarantees, but you're in a position to make our team, because both of our goalies are gone." He was straight forward, and that's what I look for. I don't like guys that beat around the bush. That personal touch of him calling me personally, it was a bit thing that persuaded me to come here.

McKeen's: A lot of college programs get the inside track on a kid that way, making that call, or the handwritten letter, if you can read handwriting. Back in June, you committed to Northern Michigan. So, when did college programs first start recruiting you and what other programs were in the running and what made you decide on Northern Michigan?

Coreau: It started when I was in the "OP." A Sacred Heart scout (pauses)… I can't remember his name now, but he saw me in warm-ups, which pretty much had to be the case, because that's really the only time the scouts got to see me. He just said, "You know, I like what I see. If they can get you more game time…" or whatever. So, there was him, and then Northeastern, I was talking to them, went to their goalie camps during the summer, GCG (Goaltending Consulting Group), and I got introduced to their scout, Albie O'Connell. He said, "I like what I see" also. There were two teams hoping I'd get more playing time. Then I found out, I think, both of them committed goalies, just before the Lincoln camp, and I was like, "This is not happening." So, I went to the camp, and the first team I talked to was Holy Cross. It just didn't really seem to fit for me, though, because it's a school of about 2700 people and I want a bigger school. So, then, luckily, I think the next day Rob Facca from Northern Michigan, he approached me and just laid it out on the table, "We're offering you a full ride." My parents, I think, were happier than me. It's easier on their wallet.

McKeen's: (Laughs) I imagine it probably is, especially as a, I don't know if Northern Michigan has any sort of reciprocity with Ontario, but being a foreign student, let alone out of state at a state school can get a little pricy. With Northern Michigan, how often do they keep in touch with you now and what have they been saying lately?

Coreau: Since I've committed, with the National Letter of Intent, they can call me any time. We usually talk once or twice a week, with coach Facca or Walt Kyle, the head coach. They say that even though this year has been tough, just stay positive, you'll be here next year, and if I have bad game, they'll ask, "How was it?" "How did you play?" They say, "We know what you can do. Forget about it and keep going," and that's what I try to do, just forget about bad games and keep working hard.

McKeen's: Probably takes a weight off your shoulder not having to worry about that so much. I mean, you don't want to have a bad game, but it's not going to be, as far as college is concerned, life or death. Going back to the beginning, when did you first start playing hockey and how did you get that start?

Coreau: When I was seven years old I went to my first NHL game. It was in Ottawa, against Buffalo, and they were playing (pauses)… well, Damian Rhodes was in net for Ottawa and Hasek for Buffalo, and I was three rows behind the goaltender, and I honestly don't remember the game. I just looked at the goalie the whole time, and the next morning I woke up and said to my parents, "I want to be a goalie."

McKeen's: So you've been a goalie from the get-go?

Coreau: Yep, yep. Never been a player.

McKeen's: Wow. Obviously, you're known today as being a big goaltender, but have you always been a tall kid or was there some point where you rocketed up?

Coreau: Yeah. I've always been the tallest in my grade, usually. Some guys caught up with me…

McKeen's: That'll happen.

Coreau: Yeah. I mean, there's definitely a growth spurt. When I was 12, I shot up two inches in one summer. But, I've always been pretty tall. But, I had to buy new clothes, new shoes, everything.

McKeen's: I remember I grew six or seven inches over the course of about 18 months back in the day.

Coreau: That's pretty good.

McKeen's: Long time ago, half a lifetime for me, actually. This is your draft year, and Central Scouting has had you on their list at various places, and other scouting services, including McKeen's, have taken note of you. So, what are your thoughts on your chances with the draft?

Coreau: Well, I've definitely talked about it with Northern [Michigan] and people around hockey and see if they had me in there. What I've come to learn is that it doesn't matter if I get drafted. I'm going to school next year. I'm going to a great program. I'd like to be drafted, get psyched, but if that doesn't happen, it's not the end. I just have to keep working hard. I'm not expecting to be a top-two or top-three round pick, probably more of a fourth-round pick or later. If that happens, great, and I'll go to their summer camp. It would definitely be a great experience and it'd definitely show that the hard work has paid off.

McKeen's: If I were a regional scout advising my director of amateur scouting or the director advising my GM on draft day, what are some reasons I should consider drafting Jared Coreau in Los Angeles.

Coreau: Well, I work hard. I'll never pout about anything. I'm confident. I don't let the little things bother me, pests on the other team or whatever. I stay calm in the net, and I'll stand up for my teammates also, and you can guarantee every game I'll play my heart out.

McKeen's: Prospects of your caliber often have, in your case, a family advisor. Do you have an advisor and, if so, whom?

Coreau: My parents, they know a guy. I don't really know the inside and out of that. I know they talk to him some, but I don't really keep in contact with him. Really, they just come to him to see, "Should he be going to this camp, or go to the USHL Showcase?" and he said, "Yeah, he should," or let us know other good camps.

McKeen's: May I ask who that is?

Coreau: Jerry Buckley (Buckley Sports Management).

McKeen's: Jerry Buckley?

Coreau: Yeah, I've met him only once.

McKeen's: Lastly, to round things out with a softball question, who were some of your favorite players and/or goalies growing up and why and who are some goaltenders today you feel you're similar to or that you'd like to equate to?

Coreau: Well, my first favorite was Curtis Joseph. Honestly, I can't tell you why. He played for Team Canada, but he was also in blue, and that's my favorite color. So, I think it just came down to that. But, definitely, my favorite goalie today is Roberto Luongo. He's big, he won the gold, and I just like the way he plays - calm. I try to model my game after him and be really positional and use my size. That's how I want end up being.

McKeen's: I assume with you, Cujo was with the Maple Leafs and not the Blues.

Coreau: Yeah, with the Leafs.

McKeen's: With your birth date, it'd be possible, but considering seven years old was your first NHL game, probably later.