All in a Day’s work
Former Niagara North goaltender Nathan Day is a having a solid season for the Flint Firebirds. OHL IMAGES.
Nathan Day learned early on in his career the importance of a strong work ethic.
The 18-year-old Grimsby native grew up watching hockey and quickly picked up on how nothing is handed to professional athletes.
“You see how hard these goalies work to reach the NHL,” Day said. “You start to see what it takes and when you get to that point and that’s what you want to do and it’s your end goal, nothing stops you.
“You just want to work as hard as you can to be the best version of you possible. I think that’s what I strive for.”
Day’s relentless work ethic has paid off.
A third-round selection of the Flint Firebirds in the 2021 Ontario Hockey League draft, Day is having a solid season with the Firebirds, winning his last four starts while sporting an overall 12-9 record.
Day won his first start of the season but struggled somewhat thereafter. Several chats with goaltending coach Lucas Lobsinger helped turn his season around.
“Obviously, I started off the season not the way I wanted to but after Christmas I started to pick things up,” Day said. “We’d go over games and go over things and ever since then things have started to pick up.
“I feel like I’m playing a lot better.”
The recent success has made coming to the rink a little more pleasurable.
“It’s great because you start to gain confidence and you start to feel yourself there,” he said. You’re just having fun and playing the game you love. It’s great because it makes the game a lot more enjoyable.”
Day began working with Lobsinger in peewee and the two quickly formed a close bond.
“We kind of connected and started working together at skates and then going to his camps during the summer and lessons throughout the year and I always really liked it,” Day said. “He taught me a lot of great stuff.
“He’s always working hard to get the best out of me. He’s always pushing me to get better and let’s me know when things are wrong. He’s supportive. He’s always reaching out and talking to me.”
Lobsinger, a former Niagara IceDogs netminder who operates Lucas Lobsinger Goaltending, feels Day is the complete package.
“Nate has an outstanding work ethic and off-the-charts athleticism, especially in his lower half,” Lobsinger said. “He has certainly put himself in the mix in terms of the draft. He has the prototypical frame at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds that they are looking for at the next level but any conversations I’ve had with scouts have centred on his lateral mobility and the explosiveness in his legs.”
Day, who is ranked 14th overall by NHL Central Scouting for North American goalies, is focused more on the remainder of the OHL season than the draft at this point.
“I’m looking forward to the draft but I think the ranking doesn’t mean too much,” he said. “That’s my end goal but right now I’m just trying to produce for my team and get some wins under my belt.”
Day, who shares the crease in Flint with St. Louis Blues draft choice Will Cranley, has a checklist of things to continue to work on for the rest of the season.
“No one’s perfect, there’s always things you can work on to get better. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to get better in all aspects of my game, he said.”
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