by Mike Ries, Staff Writer, AHL Report
BRAMPTON, ON. –Goaltender Andrew D’Agostini is a three-year veteran of the Brampton Beast after a five-year career with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. D’Agostini is the quintessential role player and teammate, never complaining, biding his time until called upon.
Listed at a liberal 5-foot-10-inches, D’Agostini is contrary to the trend of goaltenders becoming bigger in stature. To compensate, he possesses is a high compete level, battling on every play no matter the score. D’Agostini’s team often feeds off his energy level.
Minor pro hockey can be ruthless from a business side as D’Agostini has seen in his three seasons with the Beast. Only appearing in two games his first season with Brampton, he was part of an 11-goalie carousel. Last season he saw his role limited at the start of the season as the third goalie behind veteran Bryan Pitton and prospect Zach Fucale.
After Pitton was released from his standard player contract last February, D’Agostini had the opportunity to play regularly. He excelled appearing in 25 games, sporting a 13-8-1 record becoming a mentor for Fucale.
This season, D’Agostini was the third goaltender, once again, behind prospects Marcus Hogberg (Senators) and Michael McNiven (Canadiens.) Given an opportunity, D’Agostini ran with it, securing the first five points of the season. He has been patient, grasping every start he is afforded.
D’Agostini is a leader on the Beast, perfectly fitting his role.
Early in the season, it’s D’Agostini who has the Beast’s two wings. The 24-year-old sports a 3.41 goals against average and a .884 save percentage.
Andrew is another, in a long line of Beast players (present and former) from the area who are comfortable playing at home. With his strong character, D’Agostini has embraced a supporting role while being a positive influence on his teammates. Any team would be happy to have a player like him on their team.
