Alex Nedeljkovic primed for big 2014-15 season with Plymouth
By Matt Mackinder –
It’s been a whirlwind for Alex Nedeljkovic.
Just two years ago, he was just trying to find his way into the Plymouth Whalers’ lineup and even spent time playing Tier III hockey to stay loose. Once he became a regular for the Whalers, however, there was no looking back.
In June, the 18-year-old Parma, Ohio, native was drafted in the second round of the NHL draft by the Carolina Hurricanes. This was coming off Nedeljkovic being named the Ontario Hockey League’s goaltender of the year, too.
Now a bona fide OHL star and NHL prospect, Nedeljkovic – who played for Belle Tire and the Metro Jets before making the jump to juniors – hasn’t let any of that get to his head.
“I look at guys that are already in the NHL today and tell myself that they are there because they didn’t stop working and getting better just because they got drafted,” said Nedeljkovic. “They continued to work, get better, and focus on the goals that they set for themselves. Getting drafted is just a step in making the NHL, but now I have to continue to get better and make my way up the depth charts now.”
Nedeljkovic still reflects back on draft day in late June in Philadelphia.
“To this day, I still find it hard to explain to people when they ask me what it was like hearing my name called,” Nedeljkovic said. “There was a rush of so many emotions, I couldn’t believe how big of a rush it was. It is starting to sink in how incredible it was. I will never forget the entire weekend. Not only hearing my name getting called, but also hearing many friends and former teammates of mine getting their names called. Aside from being able to spending that weekend with my family, the best memories from that weekend came with my friends and teammates, and being able to share that experience with them.”
Touching on family, Nedeljkovic also said that having them with him for his entire hockey journey is priceless.
“There aren’t enough words in the world I can use to describe what my family means to me,” said Nedeljkovic. “They have been there through thick and thin for me and will always be there. I think that’s what allows me to forget things and move forward and keep looking forward because I’ll always be able to come home and talk to them about anything, hockey-related or not, and they’ll listen and help in any way they can. Having them next to me in Philadelphia for the draft meant the world to me and without them, the draft would not have been as special.”
This past summer, Nedeljkovic participated in the Hurricanes’ rookie camp, main camp and saw action in a preseason game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, a game the Hurricanes lost 4-3.
“I thought rookie camp in Traverse City went really well,” said Nedeljkovic. “I just played my game when it was my turn to play and in practice I tried to get better and listen to what the coaches had to say. It was a first for me, being on the ice with so many NHL prospects and soon-to-be NHL players. Main camp was another good experience for me. Seeing how practices are run and getting a chance to play in an exhibition game was something I will use to push myself to want to get better every day.”
In Plymouth, the Whalers are 3-3-1 going into this weekend’s eastern Ontario road swing through Kingston, Peterborough and Ottawa. The major focal point of the Plymouth offseason was how not many players would need to be replaced this season, lending to improved team chemistry this season.
Nedeljkovic said the chemistry is “very good” and the Whalers’ record is not indicative of how well they’ve played over the first few weeks.
“Only losing a few guys and bringing back a good majority of the team is a huge step in becoming as good a team as we can be because we are already very used to each other and for any new guys coming to the team, it’s as if they had been with us for a year already,” said Nedeljkovic.
There has always been hockey credo that states a team is only as good as its goalie and the goaltender has to be the best player. So far this season, in the words of Plymouth head coach Don Elland, “Ned’s been Ned.”
Ask Nedeljkovic and he’ll say he’s just excited to take the ice each day.
“To make sure I keep improving as the year goes on, I’ve come up with a list of goals I have set for myself to achieve by the end of the season,” explained Nedeljkovic. “I talked it over with my goalie coach, Stan Matwijiw, and we both feel that the goals we’ve set are very challenging, but at the same time, achievable. It’ll require more attention to detail to make sure that all the little things in my game are done right and to my fullest potential.
“There are days where I get home from practice and think about my day and how incredible it was to be able to practice or play with such highly-talented guys every day. It is a nice thought to think only two years ago I was fighting for a spot in the lineup and how things have changed so quickly, but it is only the start of my career and hopefully, I can keep growing mentally and physically and can make the jump to the next level.”