AwfulHomesick

Blaine Olynick

No Team

Blaine Olynick

It took quite a bit of time for Blaine Olynick to decide what position he would stick with for his junior playing years. As a child, Blaine fancied both the forward and goaltender position but never chose a side. Once playing goalie in a mite game, his coach asked him which position he preferred, since he excelled in both. Blaine, with the flip of a coin and chose goalie. The story was writing itself.

Growing up in Ontario, Blaine rooted for the same team every single one of his classmates rooted for: the Toronto Maple Leafs. But growing up in the late 90s-early 00s, Blaine never stuck with any of the Maple Leafs' starting goaltender as his "idol". Ed Belfor, Curtis Joseph, and Felix Potvin never cut for him. So Blaine went with the best up and coming goaltender of that time: Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils.

Blaine was mesmerized by Brodeur's flashiness and puck skills. He spent countless hours working on mimicking Brodeur's glove hand. He positioned himself like Marty, and even tried to score on the opposing team's empty net once just like Brodeur has in the past. All this mirroring would start to pay off when Blaine made the jump to the CHL.

After much deliberation and discussion with his family, Olynick decided that playing in the very offensive-minded QMJHL would surely put his abilities to the test. Who knew that a first year goalie in the Q would shatter records? Donning his Halifax Mooseheads sweater, Olynick broke the team record for longest shutout streak with 3 and a half games without conceding a goal. He was awarded the Rookie of the Year award from the team and received 2nd Team Rookie All-Star honors from the league. The performance of the young goaltender started turning heads from scouts all around the world.

After his sophomore year in the Q, Blaine's agent was receiving calls from the KHL, VHL, and more notably the NHL. He felt overwhelmed with all the offers and contracts he was being offered. Everything hit a turning point when playing a semi-finals game, Blaine took a shot to an unprotected area of his knee, and he went down. His whole season was over but the offers were still on the table. After recovering through the offseason, Olynick made a return for his 3rd year with the Mooseheads and was nothing like how the scouts expected him to be. His "sophomore slump" was actually his "junior slump" and he lost playing time after his performance diminished. Many of those offers were withdrawn. Although, somehow the VHL scouts still saw a future in him. Despite having the terrible year, he maintained a positive outlook as he declared his eligibility to play in the VHLM next upcoming season and the proceeding draft that year. The VHL has yet to get to know Blaine Olynick but just give him a season to show you what's made of. You won't be disappointed.

Pros

• Size: Standing at 6'2", Blaine takes up most of the net when preparing for a shot. His long arms and legs work to his advantage. 
• Glove: Taking a page out of Martin Brodeur's book never hurt any young goaltender, and it stays the same for Blaine. The glove hand technique that Brodeur uses to trick shooters they have a chance to score glove-side is the same one Blaine mimics. From shootouts to breakaway opportunities, coaches can rely on that fast left hand of his.
• Dedication to Winning:  If you ask any of his Halifax team mates, they will note to you how badly every game Blaine wanted to win, even if he wasn't starting. When he lost, you shouldn't speak to him for a while. When he won, he was the loudest in the room. His determination could be the spark any team could use in tough situations.

Cons

• Injury: Coming off last season's dismal performance, most experts would say his injury is what kept him back. If he could receive the proper amount of rehabilitation for it he could easily bounce back in the VHLM. But as we've seen with many professional athletes, injuries linger on for their entire career.The future could be wide open for Blaine and yet with this variable thrown in the mix, it could go very badly.
• Rebound Control: His inexperience playing with professionals may very well go in favor for the veterans. Shots from the point seem to be his weakness. Planting guys in the crease could result in many dirty goals.
• Immaturity: Going back to his passion for winning, once he racks up the wins he tends to become the show off nobody wants to be around. Given his young age, veterans may have to mold Blaine into the professional one should become once they reach the big time. This one could take some time.

For me it had to be:

 

MXC

Listening to Midtown/Chevelle a lot

Getting to sit beside Lou for a ton of games

Having my Elementary school crush move to Vancouver around the same time I did, and meeting her at a high school event

...HOW?! Is he as intimidating as he looks?

Scrivens isn't too shabby though.

When Quick is healthy, if Scrivens were to play with a Quick jersey on I wouldn't be able to tell the difference. His first few starts were incredible.

Yeah our future looks good with a crop of young guys with talent. Love it

Devils fan? I keep liking you more and more. 

Devils once again fall in the shootout, but young sniper Reid Boucher showed tons of promise scoring in his first shootout attempt and assisting on a goal. All in his first game.

Blaine Olynick

No Team

Blaine Olynick Rookie Profile

Position: G

Age: 22

Handedness: Left

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 205 lbs

If you take a look at Olynick's numbers with the Mooseheads, you'll see a rollercoaster jumpstart in his first 2 years. Then in his 3rd year you'll see the elite numbers come back down to Earth, and crashing hard. Blaine has always been known for getting the results but not having the flashiest of numbers. Some experts credit his success to having a strong defense core in front of him.

After dominating leagues as a child, he knew that what was keeping him from progressing was a jump to a high competitive level. It was either college or junior hockey, and Blaine chose to play for the Halifax Mooseheads. 

 

QMJHL Career Stats

GP: 136

W: 78

L: 44

OTL: 14

GAA: 2.16

SVV%: .906%

Pros

• Commitment to winning: Since his junior playing years, his teammates always praised his desire to win and accept nothing less. Some may see this as a bad thing, but in a league as competitive as the VHL, the difference between a good and a bad player may very well just be the drive to win every game.

• Size: Most goalies would love to cover most-if not, all the net. Olynick's 6'4" frame very well helps his case. Having a shorter stride from one end to the crease to the other could help Olynick out when trying to stop those pesty cross-crease passes. Going down to a butterfly position would create a much wider barrier with his long legs donning the pads.

• Aggressiveness: Given his tall frame but yet wearing the pads, a skater may still take the chance of trying to get the screen in front of Blaine. He is no stranger to these kinds of tactics and ultimately is not afraid to fight for his crease. With the help of the defensemen in front of him, there very well may be 3 guys trying to clear the crease in front of a very congested crease.

Cons

• Consistency: Like any young player in a professional league, they are bound to have their ups and downs. For Blaine, consistency has been a work in progress. He'll have a game for the ages one night and the next he will have fans wondering where the goaltender of the last game went to. For any coaches, try to avoid playing Olynick in back-to-back games. It could take one loss after a very hot streak to bring him back to Earth.

• Vision: What plagued Blaine's junior career were shots from the blue line. Quick passing plays on the power play are hard to follow and he quickly loses his focus if executed perfectly.

• Rebound control: If you're a forward and if you're aiming a puck to Olynick's glove hand, be aware. It very well may not land inside of his glove and in front of your stick. This could be the weakest link of his game as his junior coaches will tell you. Since playing games at the junior level he has been working hard on trying to keep the number of rebounded shots to a low count.

Blaine Olynick, future VHL draftee

I remember Alex Staal. Don't worry, no one has made more failed comebacks than me haha. I'm on like number 5? now

Your username looks familiar. What was your players name back then?

I have to thank Kendrick for that post on /r/EA_NHL for advertising the VHL. Years later I would have never thought the VHL would be 30+ seasons old since its inception. I guess you can consider me one of the original members. I was a player here from S2 as Alex Staal, made it to Team Canada on S4 and was the first star in the gold medal game. That's my only claim to fame around here, but I hope to make even more memorable milestones.

I hope to get back into the groove of things and see some old and new faces of the VHL. Cheers everyone!