Claimed:Callum Sinclair Biography [Final: 10]

[solas 1,947]

CALLUM SINCLAIR - BIOGRAPHY


Childhood

Callum Sinclair was born on March 7th, 1993, in Burlington, Vermont. Logan Sinclair, his father, was originally from Scotland before moving the America for college. Meanwhile his mother, Emma Sinclair (née Martin), was born and raised in Boston, Massachusetts. The two both studied and met at Cornell University, and quickly became a couple. Upon finishing their education - Logan to become a lawyer, Emma to become a psychiatrist - they got married.

After fifteen years of marriage and success in their respective fields, a new surprise came - a baby. Despite their busy careers, the Sinclairs decided to use this opportunity to become parents, and so Callum Sinclair came into the world, at the University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. And luckily, along with their expertise in law and psychiatry, Logan and Emma Sinclair were exceptional parents. Despite having very busy jobs, both were able to find time to care for Callum and raise him well.
 

Cornell University, where Callum’s parents first met

From his father, a passionate supporter of Celtic FC, Callum gained a love of soccer. He practiced the sport constantly at a young age, and loved to play goalkeeper. However, as soccer was not the most popular sport in America at the time, Callum didn’t have many opportunities. Vermont, being one of America’s coldest states, provided another sport: hockey. Sinclair took to it like a duck to water, and soon began to have a love for the sport.
 

High School

Going into high school, Sinclair’s love of hockey continued. Going to South Burlington High School, a school with a good hockey team, Sinclair knew that he had an opportunity to take what had been a fun weekend activity to the next level. Although he wasn’t able to make the school’s varsity team, Callum was able to make the junior varsity team and became the starting goalie. Now, instead of every weekend, he spent every day practicing, both with the team and without. He worked on moving around in his pads, he worked on his reflexes, and he kept working, confident that it was going to pay off. And it did, as after a successful season of playing starting goaltender for the JV team, Sinclair was able to catch the attention of the varsity coach.

Going into his sophomore year, Sinclair was now moving up to South Burlington’s varsity team, and with the previous starter having graduated after last season, Callum worked his way into the starting spot. He quickly became the team’s star player, and was able to lead the Rebels to the best record in the state. However, despite only allowing one goal in the entire playoffs, South Burlington was eliminated in the state semifinals by a score of 1-0. Going into the offseason, Sinclair was ready to come back for another season with the goal of leading the South Burlington High School Rebels to the state championship. However, things changed when he got the call. It was a call from the United States National Team Development Program.
 

Sinclair playing for the USNTDP

It was a difficult decision to play for the USNTDP, considering it would require Callum to move halfway across the country to Ann Arbor, Michigan. However, his parents knew that he had potential to turn hockey into a career, and so Callum Sinclair was to play for the USNTDP. In his first season with the team, SInclair had a fairly average experience - he had his good games and bad games, and was splitting time with the U-18 team’s other goalie.

Going into his second and final season with the USNTDP, Sinclair established himself as the team’s starting goalie. At the beginning of the season, he was considered by many to be one of the best goalies eligible for the upcoming NHL Draft. However, things changed when Sinclair, in a collision with a teammate during practice, severely fractured his leg. This left him out for the season, and as a result he was passed over in the draft.
 

College

With his pro hockey dream on hold, Sinclair had another option - college. His strong performance in high school and with the USNTDP had attracted many NCAA teams. After considering all of his options, Sinclair decided to return to his hometown of Burlington and play for the University of Vermont Catamounts.

In his freshman year, Sinclair re-established himself as a top talent. He quickly became Vermont’s starter as well as one of the NCAA’s better goaltenders, with a .920 save percentage and 2.21 GAA over 34 games played. However, the Catamounts were unable to make the NCAA Tournament after finishing with a record of 15-20-3 (5-13-2 in conference play), which placed them at ninth in the Hockey East Conference. Sinclair was also selected as one of the three goalies for the United States’ IIHF World Junior Championship team; however, he did not play in the tournament.
 

Sinclair playing for the University of Vermont

If Sinclair’s freshman year was his return to glory, his sophomore year was the fall back to Earth. After a stellar first season, he started out his second on the same pace, with shutouts in his first five games. However, things changed dramatically after two months into the season. After a practice near the end of November, Callum Sinclair’s life flipped upside down. A phone call came informing him of the terrible news - that his parents had been involved in a car crash and were in critical condition.

Callum got to the hospital as quickly as he could, but it was too late - both of his parents had passed away in the hospital. It was hard to fathom; for so long his parents had been invincible. But in the blink of an eye, it was all over. Having trouble dealing with the loss of his parents, Callum took two months’ leave from the hockey team. Upon returning, things weren’t the same for him. He lost his motivation and passion, and spent most of his games on the bench after his return.

Sinclair’s junior year started the same way as his sophomore year had ended. The work ethic that had come from his parents, that had been for so long his greatest asset, had disappeared. He was now just going through the motions, and he wasn’t able to reclaim his starting spot. But after another effortless practice late in the season came a realization: Callum’s parents wouldn’t want him to do this. They had allowed him to take the risk of working towards a professional hockey career. He had no excuse for playing so poorly and without ambition. And so he started working again. He regained his position as the team’s #1 goaltender. While he wasn’t able to help Vermont get a place in the tournament, Callum Sinclair had a new lease on life.

Along with a new perspective, his junior year was also significant in that at 20 years old, this was Sinclair’s last year of eligibility for the NHL Draft. And so he entered again. However, with no knowledge of what had happened near the end of Sinclair’s most recent year, NHL scouts only saw a goaltender that had once had potential, but lost his work ethic. They overwhelmingly believed that his improved performance at the end of his junior year was merely a flash in the pan, and that he was too risky to take a chance on, even with a late draft pick. However, this only motivated Sinclair to become a better player.
 

Sinclair during his senior season

It was now Callum SInclair’s final season as a member of the University of Vermont hockey team, and he was back with a vengeance. He was ready to lead the team further and assert himself as one of the best players in college hockey. And he did just that. With an incredible .942 save percentage and 1.65 GAA, he became the first Vermont player ever to win the Hobey Baker Award for the NCAA’s best player, as well as the first goaltender to win the award since Ryan Miller in 2001 (and the third goaltender overall). He was also able to lead the Catamounts to the a tournament berth for the first time in his career, and the team was able to make it to the Frozen Four - the tournament’s semifinals. However, they could not make it to the finals, as they fell to Minnesota in overtime by a score of 2-1 in Sinclair’s final game as a Vermont player.
 

The Future

Being 21 years old upon graduating from the University of Vermont, Sinclair was too old to enter the NHL Draft. Without the opportunity of the draft, he turned down multiple contract offers from minor league teams to declare for the Season 42 VHL Entry Draft. With multiple teams in need of a goalie, Sinclair seems to have quickly become a first-round prospect. He has been claimed by the VHLM’s Brampton Blades on waivers, and will play as a member of the Blades (unless he is traded) until the draft.

[Will 4,660]

Holy triple post, I'll get rid of em' 

[Molholt 2,185]

Overview: 5/5 - Really enjoyed all of this, a well written and detailed bio. Great work!

 

Grammar: 3/3 -

moving the America -- to

 to the a tournament  -- to a

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Hooray pictures!

 

Over 1000 Words? 1/1

 

Overall: 10/10

[Frank 5,057]

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