Gravelle determined to succeed
Isaac Gravelle is taking the upcoming Ontario Hockey League Priority Selection in stride.
The 16-year-old netminder for the Southern Tier Admirals plans to follow the draft on line, but otherwise it’s business as usual for the E.L. Crossley student.
“I’m really trying not to think about it right now,” Gravelle said. “It will just happen as it happens. I can’t really control what will happen. I’m just trying to focus on next year and trying to be the best I can be for the chance I have.
“I’ll wait and see what happens. Anything can happen.”
The 2023 draft begins Friday, April 21 with rounds 1-3 starting at 7 p.m. and continuing Saturday, April 22 beginning at 9 a.m. with rounds 4-15.
Gravelle, who resides in Fenwick, has been in contact with a handful of OHL teams.
“I’ve talked to a couple of teams and that’s been fun,” he said. “They just ask about school and who you model your game after, the things you do in the summer to get better and your strengths and weaknesses.”
Gravelle is a fan of Florida Panthers netminder Spencer Knight.
“I try to be like him, a calm guy who is good at moving. He reads the game really well,” Gravelle said.
Gravelle fashioned a strong season for the Admirals with a 1.22 goals-against average and five shutouts in the regular season before registering two more shutouts in four playoff games. The Admirals lost all three games at the OHL Cup.
“Isaac Gravelle is one of the premier goalies in this age group,” Southern Tier head coach Kevin Rosebrugh said. “What makes him even more special is just how good of a person he is. He plays with so much composure for a young goalie.
“He will be a franchise goalie for whoever drafts him.”
Gravelle first donned the pads as a youngster and was immediately hooked.
“I was in novice or tyke and it was the rotation and it was my turn. I tried to make my dad mad after that and tried to keep playing goalie. I fell in love with it and kept going with it,” he said.
He was far from an overnight sensation though, needing a few seasons before cracking the AAA lineup at the minor peewee level.
“I got cut from AAA for three years,” he said. “I just had to work harder than anybody else.
“I was always going to be a goalie no matter how it went.”
Gravelle is a creature of habit, following an identical pattern after permitting a goal.
“You just have to have your routine after you let in a goal. I squirt water to my face and skate to the corner and once I get back to the net I forget about it. It’s a 0-0 game,” he said.
This is the first in a series of profiles of local players who may be drafted.
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