Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Demko focused on winning a title with Boston College, will talk with Canucks this summer

Thatcher Demko

Boston College players mob goalie Thatcher Demko (30) after they defeated UMass Lowell 4-3 in the NCAA Northeast Regional hockey final in Worcester, Mass., Sunday, March 30, 2014. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

AP

If Thatcher Demko doesn’t sign with the Vancouver Canucks by Aug. 15, 2017, he can become an unrestricted free agent and join whichever NHL team he chooses.

Canucks fans are naturally nervous about this, because the 20-year-old Boston College netminder has been outstanding this season. Demko, a junior, is 20-4-4 with a .935 save percentage for the No. 2 team in the nation. Recently, the 36th overall pick in the 2014 draft earned his ninth shutout of the season in the Beanpot final, a 1-0 victory over Boston University.

So, what’s his plan?

“My plan right now is to win a championship here at Boston College,” Demko told TSN 1040 today. “I’m not sure what this summer’s going to look like. I do have another year (of eligibility) here at Boston College, so I’m trying to stay in the present here, not look ahead, because it can be a distraction. We’ll see what this summer has in store for me.”

Would he consider signing this summer and starting his pro career?

“To be honest, I haven’t even talked to the Canucks about it,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a two-way street, so they’ve got to talk to me about it before it can even be an option. I think once the season ends, I’ll just touch base with them and see where they’re at and we’ll have a discussion about it.”

The Canucks would surely love to get Demko under contract ASAP. He could play next season in the AHL, with an eye on joining the big club in 2017-18. (Ryan Miller, remember, is only signed through 2016-17.)

Individually, Demko has little left to prove at the college level. So Canucks fans should probably be cheering for the Eagles when the Hockey East playoffs begin next month. For Demko, a national title would be a nice way to end his college career. Anything less and he might be tempted to stay.

Related: Preds believe Vesey could ‘come in and play right away’