PLYMOUTH - Not long ago, Plymouth Whalers goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic was a rookie looking for playing time.
Now, he is one of the leaders of a young team learning how to survive and eventually flourish in the tough Ontario Hockey League Western Conference.
After going through a nine-game losing streak in December (points in three games due to shootouts), the Whalers have rebounded since December 18, going 14-10-0-3 ever since.
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And Nedeljkovic has done his part during that time frame, going 14-7-0-3 and posting a 2.31 goals against average with a sizzling .941 save percentage.
Through games of March 3, Nedeljkovic is tied for the league lead with London’s Anthony Stolarz in save percentage (.925) and leads the OHL in minutes played (3194) and overall saves (1918). He also leads the OHL with six shootout wins.
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Nedeljkovic’s season reflects why the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting Bureau has him rated as the top Canadian Hockey League goaltender eligible for the 2014 NHL Draft.
He relishes playing in big games in tough buildings around the league. We chatted the morning of the Plymouth’s game in Kitchener on Feb. 25 at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
The Rangers – desperate to catch the Whalers – needed to win the game in order to move closer to Plymouth for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Nedeljkovic took a look around the Aud, mostly empty, and spoke about how he enjoyed playing in Kitchener.
“I like the way it looks and the way it feels to play here,” he said. “There’s a lot of history here and it’s always packed, no matter if it’s Tuesday night or Friday-Saturday. There are a lot of people here and there’s a lot of buzz going on around the rink.”
It’s easy to think that Nedeljkovic would be nervous before a big game in front of a hostile crowd, but that’s not how he saw it.
“I just love playing in front of all the people and being in a rink that’s got so much history,” he said. “Tonight’s one of the bigger games since I’ve been here, definitely. Its two teams battling for their lives right now. Every point counts as it comes down to the last few games of the season. So this is the biggest game of the year for the two of us.”
That night, Nedeljkovic did his part, stopping 35-of-37 shots in the Whalers’ 4-2 win over Kitchener before a full house of 7,076.
Veterans Carter Sandlak and Zach Lorentz led the way offensively for the Whalers with a goal and assist each. Victor Crus Rydberg and Cullen Mercer also scored.
In truth, the game was a total team effort as everyone on the Whalers contributed to the victory. Plymouth has played several games in the same fashion over the second half. The big crowd started the leave the Aud with eight minutes left and the Whalers in control.
Plymouth general manager and head coach Mike Vellucci spoke in the Detroit Free Press about Nedeljkovic and the Kitchener game.
“We give up a lot of shots, but not all are great scoring chances," Vellucci said. "He’s just solid. He makes that first save. Down the stretch, he’s made the big save when we needed it.
“We’re in Kitchener the other night, and they tie it up, 2-2, in a tough building. ... He makes three outstanding saves, and we come down and score on the other end and win the game, 4-2.”
“Since Christmas, we’ve come a long way,” Nedeljkovic said. “Almost every night we’re coming out ready to play and battle, no matter who it (the opposition) is. We’re doing our best and we’re giving teams a hard time, no matter if they’re close games or they’re not close.
“We’re giving teams something to think about come playoff time.”
Some goaltenders might want a night off. Not Nedeljkovic, who seems to relish the workload while being a leader on and off the ice.
“It doesn’t bother me at all,” Nedeljkovic said. “Like I said at the beginning of the year, I like taking all of these shots and playing all of these minutes. I try to do whatever I can to help the team win. On the ice, that’s making saves. In the locker room, I try to be a leader as best as I can for the younger guys. So we’re taking it one game at a time and we’ll see what happens.”
THIS WEEK: Plymouth plays in Erie on Wednesday (6:45 pm, 88.1FM WSDP) and in Niagara on Thursday (6:45 pm, 88.1FM WSDP) before returning home on Sunday at 2 pm at Compuware Arena against Saginaw. You can Skate with the Whalers after Sunday's game.
