Ethan McCallum, representing team Manitoba, makes a save on a team B.C. attacker during the 2021's WHL Cup in October. The netminder was drafted by the Medicine Hat Tigers 39th overall.--SUBMITTED PHOTO
jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Ethan McCallum approaches games between the pipes quite differently than his peers.
Goalies tend to have a silent approach in their routines, which sees them sit by themselves to get dialed in. But McCallum can be found interacting with teammates before puck drop to get into his game mindset. He says it helps him to not think too hard pre game.
“As a kid you get serious and listen to your music and doing your routines, but I just found early on before going to Notre Dame that that’s what got my anxiety up and everything,” McCallum said. “Just focusing too much on the game and then I started questioning myself. Now for games I find that just being around the team and having fun before the game gets my mindset off and just really helps me prepare better. That way I am not second guessing myself or thinking too hard, I can just go out there and do what I have to do. So I just hangout with the teammates and after that do some hand-eye and juggling to get ready.”
McCallum thinks his Notre Dame Academy coaches in Wilcox, Sask. may have questioned it at first but after seeing it work for him, have bought into the approach.
It’s worked well enough for the 15-year-old, as the Medicine Hat Tigers drafted him 39th overall in the 2021 WHL prospects draft in early December.
The Brandon product said it was an amazing experience and he is excited to be a Tiger. He found out he had been selected while on lunch break.
“When I got back to lunch from my dorms I saw my name pop up and that’s when I got the greetings from everyone in my next class. Everyone was waiting outside for me to come,” McCallum said.
He said the Tigers have told him they’re looking forward to seeing him at camp come September. Until then, he will continue strapping up the pads for the Notre Dame Academy, where this season, the netminder has a .921 save percentage and a 3-8-1 record.
A highlight from his year so far was representing Manitoba at the WHL cup in October. The B.C team won but McCallum took home the goaltender of the tournament award. He said his goal heading into the tournament was to impress people watching and to play his best.
“I wouldn’t say I was expecting it but that was the goal, to impress everyone out there as well as giving my team a hope in winning every game,” McCallum said. “Nothing really changes from there, you have to keep the same attitude because that’s one little step there but honestly it’s the coolest thing that’s happened for a while.”
It was while playing in the WHL Cup that McCallum visited the Hat and toured Co-op Place. He said he liked the facilities and people at the rink, which made being drafted by the Tigers even better.
“It was pretty funny that that was my first experience with Med Hat, and it’s a beautiful city from what I have seen and I am looking forward to everything that is coming up,” McCallum said.
When he’s not between the pipes for the Notre Dame Hounds, McCallum says he is either working out or hanging out with friends and getting to know them better. Working out or hanging out with the trainer is his go-to activity because when he arrived at Notre Dame, McCallum says he wasn’t the biggest guy and enjoys learning how he can get bigger and better.
“I just like talking to the trainer on how he can help me because, to be honest, I wasn’t the biggest in the gym there so he really helped me figure that stuff out and get started with everything,” McCallum said. “I find that if I’m not in the gym my on-ice skills will not get as much better because I need to build up that leg strength and other things.”
He doesn’t have any superstitions synonymous with hockey players but makes sure to go to bed early before games and stay off of his electronics to limit his eye strain so he can better track the puck.
McCallum says he began his goaltending career at the age of seven after watching Carey Price and the Montreal Canadiens take on the Winnipeg Jets on TV. Since then he’s been a goaltender and he and his brother are both Habs fans in a family of Jets fans. He said he likes the adversity. Another reason he took his play between the pipes was a little self reflection.
“I couldn’t really put a puck in the back of the net at that point so I just thought, why not stop the puck from going in the back of the net,” McCallum said.
