The Moose Jaw Warriors settled their goaltending situation Saturday when they released Spencer Tremblay.
Tremblay was the only returning goaltender in camp, but last season’s back-up netminder was supplanted by 1995-born goalies Justin Paulic and Daniel Wapple.
“It’s like any other tough decision at this time of year, we had three goaltenders and they all had performed well. We just felt that, at the end of the day, where we rated them Paulic and Wapple were ahead of Spencer,” said Warriors general manager Alan Millar.
Tremblay, who will turn 18 on Thursday, made 20 appearances last season with the Warriors. He posted a 7-4-2-1 record and picked up a shutout. He had a .896 save percentage and a 3.62 goals-against-average.
He stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced Friday in Brandon before being released the following day.
With Wapple, Paulic and top pick Zach Sawchenko all on their list, the Warriors decided to give Tremblay his outright release and allow him to pursue other opportunities.
“We talked to some teams in the league and there was a little bit of interest going into training camp, but no teams really stepped up in the last few days,” said Millar. “We felt it would be best for Spencer to be outright released so he could have the opportunity to be a free agent and go wherever there was an opportunity for him.”
Paulic made one start at the end of the regular season last year before starting the Warriors final two playoff games — earning a win and a loss — in the Eastern Conference finals against Edmonton.
Wapple was the Sask. Midget AAA Hockey League’s first-team all-star goalie after his season with the Saskatoon Blazers.
I believe what i was told from a very reliable person. If he played as well as you say all season, then why would they start an unproven 16 yr old with their season on the line? They wouldn't I do agree with you about the release though. If he did indeed ask for it this summer, they should have let him go. He might have trouble finding a place to play now