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Article published in the Monroe Evening News 7/18/2011

Player drafted by Hurricanes thanks city for ice arena
BY CHARLES SLAT

Matt Mahalak's hockey career has come a long way since he began playing at age 4 at the Monroe Multi-Sports Complex.

He's now the property of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, having been chosen during the league's 2011 entry draft on June 25.

The netminder for the Plymouth Whalers was recognized for his achievements by the Monroe City Council Monday night, which proclaimed "Matt Mahalak Day" in his honor.

Matt and his parents, Ralph Jr. and Joan Mahalak, were on hand for Mayor Robert E. Clark's reading of the proclamation at the start of the council meeting.

The mayor hailed the St. Mary Catholic Central High School grad as "an exemplary role model" for the community and thanked him for his service to the community and efforts to give back to the town, including an appearance with his brother and Whaler teammate R.J., who was the guest speak­ers at this year's Monroe Hockey Association annual banquet. "It's a great honor to be here today," said Matt, a student at University of Michigan-Dearborn. "And thank you for way back when I was a kid opening up the rink in Monroe. With­out that and without the support of the community, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Mr. Mahalak echoed those sentiments. "I don't think you can underestimate all the youth programs you have in this community," he told city council members. He said community programs such as the Monroe Multi-Sports Complex and all the volun­teer coaches of the Monroe Hockey Association and various other community sports make a big differ­ence in kids' lives. "It's sure as heck made an impact on Matt's life," he said.

After starting with the Mon­roe Ice-Hawks, Matt partici­pated on sev­eral state cham­pionship teams, a national champion­ship and the PeeWee Hockey World Champion­ship.

He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 USHL entry draft and was grabbed by the Whalers in the second round of the OHL draft that same year.

 

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Prospect Mahalak excited at opportunity

BY MARK MONROE, BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Article published in the Toledo Blade 6/24/2011

 

Matt Mahalak, a Monroe, Mich., native and goalie for the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL will hopes to be taken in the 2011 NHL Draft.

 

Monroe native Matt Mahalak will be surrounded by well-wishing, nail-biting family members as the young goaltender anxiously waits in the audience at the NHL draft in St. Paul, Minn. this weekend.

 

Mahalak hopes to hear his name called and then walk up on the stage at the XCel Energy Center. Mahalak, 18, is ranked eighth among North American goalies by the Central Scouting Service.

 

"I'm just trying to stay on an even keel," Mahalak said. "I'm just trying to stay relaxed and enjoy it as much as I can."

 

Projections have him being selected between the third and seventh rounds at the NHL draft, which begins Friday night at 7 with first-round picks. The second through seventh rounds will be held beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday. All rounds will be televised live on the NHL Network.

 

Mahalak left for St. Paul Thursday with his parents and siblings. He said other family members also will be with him for perhaps the biggest day of his life.

 

"I will be sitting there with my family," Mahalak said. "My grandma, aunts, uncles, and cousins will be there. They are all from the St. Paul area. It will be a big family affair.

 

"Hopefully my name is called and I get to make that walk up to the stage."

 

Mahalak was one of just eight goaltenders who were invited to the NHL Combine last month. He said he performed well in both the interviews and physical tests.

 

"I talked to eight to 10 teams that have shown interest," Mahalak said. "And other teams that don't meet with you can end up drafting you out of nowhere. That has happened a lot. I'm going in with an open mind."

 

Mahalak admitted that the odds of him being drafted in the first round are "slim to none."

 

"Maybe only one goalie or two, tops, will go in that first round and I'm ranked eighth so, the odds are very slim," he said. "I'm just hoping to hear my name called sometime Saturday."

 

 

Matt Mahalak

 

 

Mahalak recently wrapped up his first season in the Ontario Hockey League where he played for the Plymouth (Mich.) Whalers. The 6-foot-3 and 180-pound goalie improved throughout his rookie season to earn a No. 8 ranking among draft eligible goalies.

 

Plymouth coach Mike Vellucci said he is "100 percent" sure Mahalak will be drafted.

 

"He had a good year at the end for us," Vellucci said. "It's hard to predict where he will go. Goalies are tough to predict."

 

The Plymouth organization has a rich tradition for developing goalies that were drafted by NHL teams. Michal Neuvirth of the Washington Capitals, and Justin Peters of the Carolina Hurricanes both played for Plymouth. Other recent Whaler goalies who were drafted include Jeremy Smith (Nashville, 2007), Matt Hackett (Minnesota, 2009), and Scott Wedgewood (New Jersey, 2010).

 

"I think NHL teams definitely respect the Whalers' ability to develop goalies," Mahalak said. "The last six have been top four-round picks. Teams understand that I will continue to develop and become a pro goalie. I think it helps my stock."

 

Former NHL goalies Fred Brathwaite and Robert Esche also played for Plymouth.

 

Mahalak backed up Wedgewood, who went through the draft process last June, this past season in Plymouth.

 

"He gave me some advice," Mahalak said "The biggest piece of advice is not to worry too much as the rounds go on. Some say it is very nerve racking seeing your peers drafted ahead of you. I'm going in with a good mindset and I'll try to not get too nervous."

 

Mahalak got to play last season with his older brother R.J., who is a left winger for the Whalers. But Matt had a slow start in his first season of major junior hockey. He finished with an 8-8-4 record with a 3.08 goals against average in 21 games. He had one shutout and a .908 save percentage.

 

Mahalak looks to join an elite group of Michigan born goalies that made names for themselves in the NHL. Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Buffalo Sabres) played at Michigan State, while Tim Thomas (Flint) led the Boston Bruins to the Stanley Cup this year.

 

Mahalak said he is hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

 

"Some say I should go between the third and fourth rounds," he said. "But in my mind it is anywhere from second to seventh or even not at all. It's an imperfect science. I'm prepared to handle it."

 

Sports Names: Mahalak has opportunity to be picked in NHL draft

Article published in the Monroe Evening News June 21. 2011 11:50AM

 

Matt Mahalak of Monroe could be among the players chosen in the National Hockey League draft this week.

Mahalak, 18, had a 2.14 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League last season.

He started slowly but developed rapidly later in the season and was invited to the recent NHL combine in Toronto. Mahalak interviewed with eight teams at the combine. He is ranked eighth among North American draft-eligible goalies by the Central Scouting Service.

   


ESPN has  Mahalak  ranked # 3 for the NHL DRAFT

Monroe native Matt Mahalak, a goalie for the OHL's Plymouth Whalers,

will participate in the NHL Combine from May 30 to June 5.

Mahalak to display his skills in NHL Combine

Monroe native looks to improve his draft stock

By MARK MONROE

BLADE SPORTS WRITER

Monroe native Matt Mahalak has been a goaltender for nearly his entire life, so he's used to being tested.

But the young net-minder admits he is wary of the "Aerobic Bike VO2max Test," which is among 18 fitness exams

he will face at the NHL Combine next month. Mahalak, who turned 18 in January, has been chosen to be among a

select group of young hockey players to be examined during the annual NHL Combine next month. Much like the

better known NFL Combine, the screening process is used by scouts and general managers to determine player
selection in the NHL draft in June. "There are all kinds of tests," Mahalak said. "There are reaction time tests.
Strength tests. Agility tests. But one of the most infamous tests is their bike test. You basically have to bike until
your legs fall off. They beat you up. It should be interesting." The endurance exam measures the capacity of
the player to use oxygen while pedaling a bike with differing resistance for longperiods of time.
Mahalak has now focused in on the Combine after just completing his first season in the OntarioHockey League.
He is a goalie for the Plymouth Whalers, a major junior team located in Plymouth, Mich., which is about 25 miles
northeast of Ann Arbor. He accepted an invitation from the NHL to participate in the NHL Combine, which is a
week-long battery of tests from May 30 to June 5 in Toronto. Mahalak is one of just eight Young goalies picked
to attend the Combine. At 6-foot-3 and 180 pounds, Mahalak has tremendous size which allows him to cover a
lot of the net. It also has earned him a No. 8 ranking among all draft eligible goalies.

Plymouth coach Mike Vellucci said he believes Mahalak will do well at the Combine because he is cerebral,

athletic, and physically gifted. "He has a strong mental approach," Vellucci said. "He's very analytical. He doesn't

get too rattled after a goal. As a goalie you have to have a short term memory. He's your last line of defense. He has

great concentration. Plus he has great size and athletic ability for a goalie. Those were the two physical things we

liked." Vellucci said only the top 80 players, including just the eight highest rated goalies, are invited to the combine.

"It is a very select group," Vellucci said. Although he has been seen by many scouts during the season, all

30 NHL teams send representatives to watch the testing at the Combine. "This is going to be the one time where I will

be surrounded by NHL scouts, general managers, and coaches," Mahalak said. "So it will be a highlight of my career."

Vellucci said the players' performance in the mental tests are weighed more heavily than the physical tests. He said the

NHL differs from the NFL's combine because the football players are college-age and have had years to develop.

"These guys are only 17 or 18, and they are not physically mature yet," Vellucci said. "They're still growing. What's

more important is the interview process." Mahalak said he has spoken to players that attended the Combine. "They have

a wide variety of tests and it takes five days," Mahalak said. "You have interviews with teams. You never know

what to expect. They throw a ton of things at you. You have no idea the response they are looking for. Some are

looking for different things. You just have to go in and relax, just be yourself and be honest."

Draft status

Vellucci, who just finished his 10^th season as the Whalers head coach, said he is "100 percent" sure Mahalak will be

drafted. "It's hard to predict where he will go," Vellucci said. "He had a good year at the end for us. But goalies are

tough to predict. It seems like once the first goalie is drafted, then other goalies start to get drafted." Mahalak attended

three high schools while pursuing his NHL dreams, playing elite travel hockey. He graduated from Monroe St. Mary

Catholic Central and now attends the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Mahalak had a slow start in his first season of

major junior hockey. He finished with an 8-8-4 record with a 3.08 goals against average in 21 games. He had one shutout

and a .908 save percentage. Mahalak could become the highest drafted player from the Toledo area since NHL veteran

Bryan Smolinski was a first round pick (21^st overall) by Boston in 1990. No matter what round Mahalakgets drafted, he still

will play two more years in the OHL, a developmental league. Generally young hockey players then move up to the

American Hockey League, which is equivalent to the Triple-A level in baseball. The draft will be held on June 24-25.

 

Matt Mahalak Pitches First OHL Shutout in 4-0 Win Over Oshawa

 PLYMOUTH - Matt Mahalak stopped 36 shots to record his first Ontario Hockey League shutout as the Plymouth Whalers defeated the Oshawa Generals, 4-0, before 2,310 at Compuware Arena on Saturday night.

Tyler Brown (19), James Livingston (12), RJ Mahalak (5 - Matt's brother) and Jamie Devane (9) all scored for the Whalers (now 27-18-1-3), who moved into a tie with Windsor for fourth place in the OHL's Western Conference race.

Oshawa is now 25-14-4-4, good for fourth place in the OHL's Eastern Conference race.

Plymouth took five out of a possible six points this weekend in dramatic fashion, winning a shootout, 5-4, in Windsor on Thursday night, losing a 6-5 shootout to Niagara on Friday and - in spite of playing three games in three nights - showed excellent energy tonight from the goal out for the entire sixty minutes.

But the story was Matt Mahalak, who has improved over the last month of the season. With tonight's shutout, Mahalak has a 1.36 goals against average and .962 save percentage over his last four appearances.

"It's amazing," he said after the game. "All the hard work has definitely been paying off over the past few months. We had the whole team going tonight. My brother's out there blocking shots in the third period. It's great to see everyone battling for me."

The Whalers and Oshawa played one of the more entertaining games this season at Compuware Arena, skating hard all night in a game that featured good flow, end-to-end rushes on both sides and few whistles. Neither team played anything close to a trap.

Brown got Plymouth rolling during the game's first shift, finishing off an excellent passing play with linemates Robbie Czarnik and RJ Mahalak at 0:28.

 Mahalak ? on the left wing in the Oshawa zone, found Czarnik on the right side and he found Brown out in front of General goaltender Peter Di Salvo.

"One of the keys to the game was to come with a good start," Matt Mahalak said. "We scored a goal in the first shift and carried on through the rest of the game."

Oshawa outshot Plymouth, 7-4, in the first period.

Livingston gave Plymouth a 2-0 lead at 1:42 of the second period, converting Mitchell Heard's feed from behind the net to tuck a backhand by Di Salvo.

RJ Mahalak gave Plymouth a 3-0 lead on a power play at 13:28 when Czarnik worked out of the left corner in the Oshawa zone and found Garret Meurs at the left wing half-wall. Meurs waited patiently and passed alertly to Mahalak, who wasted no time snapping the pick past Di Salvo from the hash marks.

Oshawa outshot Plymouth, 18-7, in the third period, but the Whaler defenders and Mahalak were up to the task. Oshawa head coach Chris DePiero pulled Di Salvo with 1:20 remaining and the Generals having a six-on-three manpower advantage with Plymouth defenseman Austin Levi off interference at 17:47 and Brown whistled for delay of game at 18:40.

But the puck squirted to neutral territory and Devane beat everyone down the ice to score on the empty net.

The only issue left at that point was to get Mahalak's shutout. Mahalak made a spectacular stop on Oshawa's Scott Valentine with about eight seconds left. Mahalak then made saves over the final six seconds on Valentine and Josh Graves to preserve the shutout.

Mahalak was asked if any one save stood out from the others he made on a special night.

"The last two ? the shot from the point (by Valentine) and the rebound (by Graves). There's about a second left and if it (the puck) would have gone in, I would have been crushed. So I got the pad out and was ecstatic."

Although Mahalak has worked very hard to improve over the past couple of months, he was quick to give credit to others.

"I owe a lot to (goaltending coach) Stan Matwijiw and to (fellow goaltender) Scott Wedgewood for helping me out," Mahalak said. "I had a few shaky starts at the beginning of the year. But all the extra ice and all the hard work and listening to Stan and to Wedge helped me improve every day. It's starting to show."

Suddenly, Whalers head coach Mike Vellucci has a pleasant problem with both Wedgewood and Mahalak playing well. It's a headache he doesn't mind having.

                           R.J. Mahalak                                                                              Matt Mahalak

Mahalak brothers of Monroe play major junior hockey

Article published in the Toledo Blade 10/26/2010                    

 

The young Mahalak brothers skated on to the ice as teammates for the first time in years last week and the siblings had instant chemistry.

The Mahalaks are Monroe natives who are living out their childhood dreams of playing major junior hockey. R.J., 18, is a left winger. Matt, 17, is a goaltender. Both play for the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League.

The brothers were together on Oct. 20 when their Michigan-based team played against Owen Sound (Ont.). Matt Mahalak relieved the starting goaltender early in the first period with his team down 3-1.

"He saved my butt a couple times," R.J. said. "Whenever I messed up, he was there to help out. I let up a breakaway and he stopped it. It was the first time we've been on the ice together in a long time. He played really well. He made a couple big stops."

Matt said another "interesting moment" occurred late in the third period with his team trying to kill a penalty.

"There was a back-door play where I ended up diving to stop it and R.J. was diving behind me," Matt said. "We both made the save. After the play, we gave each other a tap. It was a close call, but it was cool because we made the save together."

The Mahalaks said they've played hockey their whole lives. Beginning at age 7, both dreamed of someday becoming pros.

"Since I can remember, I've always had the ambition of being an NHL player," Matt said. "Over the last two years, it has become more realistic. It's becoming a more and more reasonable goal."

The two played travel hockey on the same team at age 9 and then worked their way up eventually to the highest level of junior hockey. Both were drafted by the Whalers.

R.J. joined a youth travel team when he was 12 and has been playing at an elite level ever since.

"When I got drafted into the OHL that put things in perspective," he said. "It made me believe I was actually somewhat good. So I decided to try to make a living out of it."

Two years after the Whalers drafted R.J., they picked his brother. But Matt opted to play one season of junior hockey in Cleveland before joining Plymouth this year.

"When we were kids we played together, but we haven't played together in a long, long time," R.J. said. "It's good to be back on the ice with him."

But both said sibling rivalry never dies.

"He's a four-year vet and I'm a rookie," Matt said. "So it's a blast from the past. He's still big brother, I'm still little brother."

R.J. added, "He is still my little brother. So I give him a hard time. If he makes a save on me, it ticks me off. If my little brother stops me, I want to try harder. It's kind of funny to watch."

But the older Mahalak has helped show Matt the ropes.

"I know what he is capable of," R.J. said. "I know what he can do out there. It's really no surprise what we get out of him every night. We help each other. We battle each other hard in practice. It's always been competitive."

R.J. has been fighting a shoulder injury he suffered in 2007, his first year with Plymouth. He went through three surgeries within a year and tried to play through the injury over the last three seasons with the Whalers.