Saginaw Spirit Enters 2024-25 Campaign With One of the League’s Top Netminders

“There is no position in sport as noble as goaltending.” – Vladislav Tretiak.

The last time Saginaw Spirit fans saw goaltender Andrew Oke in action, he was retreating to his goal crease mere seconds after the Spirit beat the London Knights to win the 2024 Memorial Cup. His Spirit teammates quickly made a beeline toward him and piled on top of him as he fell backwards into the net – which was both dangerous and euphoric at the same time.

“Looking back if I could go back and do it again, I’d probably not go back to the net,” chuckled Oke. “But I was stunned. In that moment you don’t expect to score with 20 seconds left in the championship game. It was fun.”

It was also physically draining as Oke and his Spirit teammates grinded out its best season in franchise history, a grind that lasted 11 months as training camp started in August and the Memorial Cup championship game was in June. 

Along the way Oke faced probably the longest month of his life when he was injured in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals against the Soo Greyhounds. Up until that point he was a playoff leader with a spotless 5-0 record with a 1.83 goals-against-average and a sparkling .938 save percentage.

While retrieving an errant puck behind his own net, he was checked from behind and into the boards, suffering a concussion.

“I wasn’t really expecting it,” explained Oke. “My head flew back, so I suffered a whiplash. It was scary since it was my second (concussion) of the year. I was out about a month. I had headaches and a stiff neck. It was a tough injury but I’m feeling fine now.”

Oke rebounded remarkably well. After the difficult road of recovery and playing the whole waiting game, he stepped right back into form during the Memorial Cup run. He picked up four wins, a 2.82 GAA and .884 save percentage, while backstopping Saginaw to its first-ever championship.

Each member of the Spirit organization gets to take the treasured Memorial Cup back to their hometown. For Oke, that is Shelby Township, MI. He said he actually drove to Saginaw to get the Cup into his possession.

“We had a big barbeque; a huge family party,” said Oke. “The next day I took it golfing. We had a big golf tournament for my family and all of my friends. My team actually won the tournament, which was great.”

“We only have the Cup for such a short time so I wanted to pack as much into two days as possible,” he added. “I passed it off to Storchy (Liam Storch), who lives nearby (Rochester Hills). It was sad to give it away.”

Oke took only two weeks off to relax from the long season and then was right back to the grind. “It was a short summer. I started a new workout program in Troy. I took private lessons every day from 9-11 a.m. Monday through Friday and I learned a lot.”

With a new season approaching, it also means a few changes for the Spirit organization. New goaltending coach Kevin Delamarter joins the Spirit after Rick Ice’s departure for the Arizona Jr. Coyotes.

“Ice was awesome to work with,” said Oke. “They had to find a great replacement and they did. He’s (Delamarter) a good fit. He’s very technical. He watches a lot of film and he actually brings his iPad on the ice to show me things. That’s something I’ve never experienced before.”

The 20-year-old already knows he is going to carry the load for the Spirit on his 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame. After all, a year ago he started 41 games, winning 29 while sporting a 2.90 GAA – both career highs. Oke earned his first three career shutouts in 2023-2024, including one in the playoffs. 

“I’ve been told by management that I’ll start between 50-60 games this year,” noted Oke. “And I have to take the opportunity. I have the confidence and experience. I’m calm and collected and really looking forward for the season to start. I can’t wait to get started.”

“I think everybody in the league thinks we’re just going to be average this year because we lost a lot of guys. Well, we’ve got a real good group coming back.”

One of the many people who has all the confidence in the world in Oke is Spirit general manager Dave Drinkill. “He’s (Oke) going to be one of the top goaltenders in the league,” said Drinkill. “And he expects that of himself, too. He played well for us last year and got hurt during the Memorial Cup, but was able to come back. He’s put the work in this summer and we expect big things from him.”

It all starts Wednesday, September 25^th when the Spirit host the Windsor Spitfires in its home opener at 7:05 p.m. Expect a full house at the Dow Event Center as the Spirit organization will unveil its Memorial Cup championship banner.