Unflappable Delia betting on himself to win backup goalie chase

The well-spoken Collin Delia sounds like an astute English teacher in response to pressing questions.

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What the Vancouver Canucks’ backup goaltender has often looked like is retired acrobatic stopper Tim Thomas with unorthodox attempts to prolong an NHL career. Let’s call it adventurous.

“That’s a nice word,” laughed Delia. “Maybe a little bit out of control and I still have that at times and I’m working to retire that.

“I came from an athletic base and grew up watching some pretty athletic goalies like (Jonathan) Quick. Not that I necessarily modelled my game after them, but that’s how I played.

“Ian Clark (Canucks goalie coach) saw a couple of tools and saw things I need to work on. It’s starting to come to fruition and I’m definitely not done.”

Like cramming for the final exam after passing the midterm?

“Proof of concept, right? added Delia.

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At, 28, he believes he’s entering his prime and can win the backup battle to relieve workhorse starter Thatcher Demko next season.

However, Delia will face stiff competition from Spencer Martin, 27, and Arturs Silovs, 21. But betting on himself as an undrafted and unflappable unrestricted free agent is a calculated move.

He knew Clark would advance his competitive curve, and he’s already been through enough career adventure to welcome another challenge.

“If you don’t want that pressure, why are you here?” asked Delia. “You have to be good with that and realize that at the end of the day, it’s a business. Whoever gives them (Canucks) the best opportunity to win games is going to be in there.

“I want that to be me and I’m going to work like hell for that. I signed a one-year deal, so the future is uncertain.”

Depending on how the Canucks want to develop the intriguing Silovs — another heavy workload with the AHL affiliate in Abbotsford or fast-tracking the lanky Latvian after a five-game audition in The Show this season — the competition doesn’t bother Delia.

Martin had a stellar 3-0-3 run in the NHL last season. But he struggled to maintain that form in 2022-23 with an 11-15-1 record, 3.99 goals-against average and a .871 save percentage behind an often leaky and turnover-prone defence.

Delia is 8-4-2 this season with a 3.34 GAA and a .879 percentage and, after sitting out 11 games, looked solid, square and patient Sunday in a 2-1 win at Anaheim. Silovs is 3-2-0 with a 2.47 GAA and a .914 percentage. On Feb. 18 at Rogers Arena, he made 35 saves in a 6-2 drubbing of the Philadelphia Flyers for his first NHL win.

Delia had a different level of drama in his debut with the Chicago Blackhawks on March 29, 2018. He was recalled from the AHL affiliate because Corey Crawford was battling concussion symptoms. Anton Forsberg was tabbed for the start and Delia was supposed to serve as the backup.

Then it got real interesting.

Forsberg was hurt in a pre-game soccer warm-up. Delia was suddenly the starter, but it was emergency backup Scott Foster — a Western Michigan University grad and accountant — who would make seven third-period saves in relief of an injured Delia in a 6-2 romp over the Winnipeg Jets.

“Forsberg pulled a calf muscle and I was told I’m playing,” recalled Delia. “That’s great. But that morning, I had stayed out with the scratches for a couple of hours and could hardly stand up.

“It was my first days in the NHL and I didn’t know any better. You finally get some game action and in the third I got hurt (cramping). But it was fun.”

Delia grew up in Rancho Cucamonga, 60 kilometres east of Downtown Los Angeles, and didn’t take to hockey until age 12. He played roller hockey but it was no way to prep for the rigours of the ice rink.

“The (roller hockey) position was obviously different for not sliding around as much,” he said.

“I wanted the opportunity to work here with Ian and to be close to an NHL opportunity as far as depth is concerned. Injuries always happen. I just wanted to give myself a good opportunity and change my game a bit and step into the NHL if I got the opportunity.”

When Demko was hurt Dec. 1 and missed 35 games do to a groin injury, the opportunity arose to put the work into practise.

“It’s a lot of rotations as it pertains to moving laterally and just getting good post position to make the next save as efficient as possible,” stressed Delia. “It’s about working smarter and not harder.And puck-tracking seems simple, but with previous teams, that wasn’t really highlighted as much as it should have been and that’s really paramount.”

Like many of his peers, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet often defers to Clark to get a read on his goaltenders. But he made a recent effort to get dialed into Delia.

“He’s a very intelligent guy,” said Tocchet. “He doesn’t play for three weeks and then did a good job in Anaheim. You always root for battlers. He knows where he stands and always feels he can go in the net and win.”

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