titanium2 867 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Jordan Pearce. Anybody know anything about him? http://www.freep.com/article/20090410/SPOR...0063/1053/rss17 The Red Wings today signed goaltender Jordan Pearce to a two-year entry-level deal, beginning with the 2009-10 season. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Pearce, 22, spent the past four seasons with Notre Dame and was a finalist for CCHA player of the year this season. He finished the year 30-6-3 with a 1.68 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and eight shutouts. He led the nation in wins and shutouts, was second in goals-against average and fifth in save percentage. Pearce is currently with the Grand Rapids Griffins on an amateur tryout. He is scheduled to back up Jimmy Howard against Hamilton tonight at Van Andel Arena. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gizmo 21 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Good move... He was one heck of a goalie for ND and put on quite a show at the CCHA finals last month! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 (edited) http://www.und.com/sports/m-hockey/mtt/pearce_jordan00.html He's 6-1, at 206, so hopefully he's not undersized for a goalie. He's also from Anchorage, AK. http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/fe...ame-hockeyfeb09 Notre Dame hockey stands behind its quiet man, Jordan Pearce Pearce's demeanor once a drawback, now driving Irish By Brian Hamilton February 09, 2009 SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Jordan Pearce is competitive, he swears, even if it took two years for nearly everyone involved with Notre Dame hockey to be convinced of that and even if he carries himself with all the zest and fury of corn flakes. But he is competitive. Just take, for example, the Irish goalie's enduring and unquenchable rage over ... uh, a biochemistry test. "I hadn't seen the problem before, and I was just so angry at the teacher," Pearce said. "I was like, where did this come from? This question came out of left field. I was so rattled. I couldn't get over it. I don't think I've ever seen someone get zero on a partial-credit question, but I got it." The man who is frustrated by misplaced negative signs on math problems has become an indispensable positive for a 21-5-3 team ranked No. 2 nationally after a seven-week reign at the top of the polls thanks to what was at one point a 20-game unbeaten streak. Pearce, with a 1.70 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage, has become a Hobey Baker Award candidate not two seasons after a perceived lack of intensity and urgency left coach Jeff Jackson entirely unconvinced he had a stalwart backstop on hand. "Two or three years ago, I would never have predicted where he is today," Jackson said. "So he has made me a believer. He has earned it. What he has accomplished "he's one of the best goaltenders if not the best in the country. And he's a 3.9 pre-med student. So go figure." The renewal of confidence in that relationship is at the heart of Pearce's rise. Very matter of factly, remarkably so given the usual tiptoeing around controversy, Pearce described his interaction with Jackson as "real strained" during his first two seasons. The crux of the issue: The Anchorage native is not predisposed to outbursts. Jackson, meanwhile, didn't see the edge he wanted and couldn't discern whether that was because of Pearce's backup status, his pre-med class load or his personality. "I'm not going to pound the ice, I'm not cussing up a storm or banging my stick if I let up bad goals," Pearce said. "He saw my low-key [attitude] and thought I was lacking intensity or lacking competitiveness. But I think he has learned that's just my personality. I'm not going to get riled up. I keep stuff internalized." The slightly less complex version is this: Once Pearce knew the starting job was his to lose as a junior, he thrived, more or less carrying the Irish to an appearance in the national title game. "You can just tell when a goalie competes hard," Jackson said. "They're battling to get rebounds and fighting through screens and deflections, and he didn't always compete that hard in that capacity. "But now he has some confidence, and he really competes hard. His personality in some ways helps him, because he has such a low-key demeanor. He never lets anything affect him." The consistency and calmness have infiltrated his performance this season. There are not as many soft goals. Rebounds don't escape Pearce as often. In turn, the Irish play freely in front of him. There is a touch of irony in that, with the goaltender once doubted for his even-keel approach now infusing that ease to everyone else. "Any time we're making mistakes, we know the other team still has to go through Pearcey," defenseman Kyle Lawson said. "It's a huge calming influence to have a guy like that back there." bchamilton@tribune.com Edited April 10, 2009 by titanium2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
HkyTwn 5 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Yeah, I know about him, see him play every time he comes to BG. Good goalie, can't stand him haha. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted April 10, 2009 (edited) How come this kid, pare, piche etc all wanted to sign with red wings (grand rapids) do they get better offers from them or do they possibly wanna be in a winning enviroment? Edited April 10, 2009 by mindfly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 How come this kid, pare, piche etc all wanted to sign with red wings (grand rapids) do they get better offers from them or do they possibly wanna be in a winning enviroment? Maybe both. I'm not sure if they have a Salary Cap for the whole 50-man roster or whatever but Ilitch isn't really shy about spending money on players. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wingslionstigers 12 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 So what about our other goalies that need to be developed? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Statts 4 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 So what about our other goalies that need to be developed? Probably means McCollum is staying in juniors next year. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted April 10, 2009 McCollum, Pearce, Larsson, Howard... hmm depth Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Probably means McCollum is staying in juniors next year. Or maybe Larsson is in to backup Osgood next year and Howard's going to turn into a 3rd round pick. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
VM1138 1,921 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Howard is a bust in my eyes. THe others are promising. Considering how we've had to float from goalie to goalie over the years, I don't see a problem in continuing to stack the goalie deck in GR. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted April 10, 2009 (edited) Yeah they need to trade Howard sometime in the off season he's been very bad when he was brought up to the wings, and inconsistent in the AHL... Edited April 10, 2009 by mindfly Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EuroTwin 240 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Sounds promising. I really look forward to seeing him play and develop. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ben_usmc 253 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Yeah they need to trade Howard sometime in the off season he's been very bad when he was brought up to the wings, and inconsistent in the AHL... Last season when he was brought up the whole team was injuried and he looked very good during those games even though we lost. Then this season he has been brought in when we were slumping, but didn't look good himself. I would rather see him play 6-7 games before I call him a bust. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevieY'sguy 1 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 This is awesome i literally yelled in joy when i read this thread, I've seen Pearce play a lot over the last two years and he is a very legit goalie. Moves very well has great vision, and is very consistent. I am also a big Jimmy Howard fan but i think i almost want Pearce to be our next top goalie now!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
titanium2 867 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 This is awesome i literally yelled in joy when i read this thread, I've seen Pearce play a lot over the last two years and he is a very legit goalie. Moves very well has great vision, and is very consistent. I am also a big Jimmy Howard fan but i think i almost want Pearce to be our next top goalie now!!! Why was he available in the first place? Did he enter the draft at all? Or did he just not get into to any med school? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Outsider 42 Report post Posted April 10, 2009 Wow.... Another one of those "nothing gets to him" goaltenders. You know, the type who's so laid back that his Coach mistook his relaxed attitude as "not trying" or lack of competitive fire? Apparently Holland sees these traits, (the low-key attitude and calmness, the refusal to "let anything effect him"), as positives. POSITIVES! Imagine that! Funny.... Most fans around here take it as a sign of "lack of heart" or "laziness". Silly Holland. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
StevieY'sguy 1 Report post Posted April 11, 2009 Why was he available in the first place? Did he enter the draft at all? Or did he just not get into to any med school? I'm not sure why he isn't drafted to tell you the truth....I have tried to find that out as i have followed him closely the last couple of years but i have found nothing.....maybe he just slipped through the cracks, Matt Gilroy who won the Hobey Baker award today and is the best defenseman in college hockey is undrafted as well, and he is a 3 time All-American...... A common misjudgement is that if someone isn't drafted, they don't have a chance at making it which is not true at all, look at some of the clowns who HAVE been drafted, (a player on my college's hockey team was drafted by the San Jose Sharks and this year as a senior, could only crack the lineup in 2 games and that was on the 10th place team in the CCHA, you're telling me he's more of a prospect than Pearce, who had the best GAA in the nation???) some people just slip through the cracks and lets face it, scouting reports are only as good as the scouts who turn them in! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
joshy207 156 Report post Posted April 11, 2009 From the story that was pasted in the thread, it sounds like Pearce is a late bloomer. There are a good number of college players who go undrafted and sign with NHL clubs as free agents once their senior season is over. Figure the majority of college players are 19, 20, even 21 as freshmen, coming from Junior leagues like the USHL, NAHL, or one of the Canadian Tier 2 leagues. They do get scouted by the NHL at that level, but not nearly as heavily as the NCAA or CHL leagues do. A lot of these guys don't stand out or aren't complete players at 17, 18, 19, so they don't get drafted, but after a few years of junior and college hockey, they become solid NHL prospects. The oldest a North American player can be to be drafted is 20, after that they are free agents, so they can sign with whichever team gives them the best offer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Guest mindfly Report post Posted April 11, 2009 What are you guys saying, that he's a cancer? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
YoungGuns1340 1 Report post Posted April 11, 2009 Wasn't Brett Lebda undrafted out of college? I'm pretty sure Marty St. Louis was too. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204 Report post Posted April 11, 2009 Andy McDonald and Chris Kunitz too. As far as Pearce, sounds like a good kid. College guys are always good bets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ben_usmc 253 Report post Posted April 11, 2009 The one thing I remember about him was, everyone saying ND was #1 basically because of how insane he was playing all season....Take that for what it's worth, I'm happy because ND is my fav. team so it hopefully he can become the first undrafted goalie to ever win a cup while being a starter for the team that picked him Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
