During his first AHL season, goalie Andrew D’Agostini seems to be relishing in the abundance of opportunities.
The 27-year-old journeyman has started all 12 games for the Marlies this year, going 6-6 in those appearances, while posting a 3.06 GAA and a 0.892 save percentage.
Prior to his AHL appointment, D’Agostini played on six different teams since 2018, most recently with the Brampton Beast of the ECHL.
Marlies head coach Greg Moore says the 12 games in 20 days is a lot of work but the netminder is handling the load well.
“I was talking with him on the ice post practice as well, just to see where he’s at – he said he woke up on a day off and was ready to go again,” said Moore, clearly impressed with the rookie’s professionalism.
“He’s gotten used to the grind, and that amount games, and that kind of workload, and he just naturally was already refreshed and ready to go.
“That’s a good sign of a great competitor and someone that’s very driven to play.”
The Scarborough native could see a drop in minutes with the potential return of Joseph Woll, who played 32 games for the Marlies last year but has been on the Maple Leafs taxi squad to start this season.
While the future isn’t certain, one thing is – D’Agostini took the opportunity he earned in training camp and ran with it.
The netminder last spoke to the media following a 5-1 Marlies win over the Stockton Heat on Feb. 23, where he spoke about adjusting to the workload both physically and mentally.
“I think probably if this is midseason anywhere else and you get a stretch like this, I’m hurting a lot more than I am right now, certainly momentum has got me feeling pretty good,” D’Agostini said.
“This organization takes care of their players. They make sure we’re well fed, and we’ve got all the nutrition and supplements and everything to feel good. It becomes all mental after that.”
D’Agostini and the Marlies are in the midst of a much needed six-day break following back-to-back losses against Stockton over the weekend.
They return to action this Friday with a home and home against Laval, where D’Agostini is expected to start at least one of the two games.