Photo Credits: Charles Warburton
The Mississauga Steelheads trail 2-0 in their first-round series against the Sudbury Wolves. While their series deficit is concerning, another major uncertainty looms over the team: the status of goaltender Ryerson Leenders, who left game two on Saturday with an injury.
Steelheads head coach James Richmond expressed concern about Leenders’ injury to reporter Mitchell Fox, stating that he was “deliberately taken out” by the same player who caused an injury in game one. However, with no concrete update on Leenders’ condition, the team must focus on the goaltending situation moving forward.
Backup goaltender Jack Ivankovic came in relief for Leenders on Saturday. Ivankovic allowed five goals on 29 shots in a 6-5 overtime loss.
Ivankovic is the number one guy now. The Steelheads must protect him at all costs and make him feel comfortable in the net. It’s not easy for a rookie netminder to be thrown into the fire, especially if they don’t have playoff experience.
Ivankovic has shown that he can handle good competition in the league. This series will be a good test for Jack to build confidence. In the games he played this season, he is the first rookie goaltender for Mississauga to look as confident as I have seen in a long time.
In 25 starts this season, Ivankovic went 14-5-4 with a 2.72 GAA and a 915 save percentage. In March, Jack was named OHL Rookie of the Month collecting. Five wins with a 2.17 GAA and a .927 save percentage. He also won the F.W. Dinty Moore Trophy, becoming the first 16-year-old to do so since 2015-16.
With the opportunity Ivankovic has, he will get a chance to show why he will be one of the top goalie prospects in 2025.
