Former Fort McMurray Oil Barons goaltender Brody Hoffman isn’t a stranger to backstopping his team through tough times.

When his University of Vermont Catamounts entered the 2015 Hockey East Tournament, few predicted they would go far.

Series victories over Maine and Boston College almost propelled the Catamounts, who lost in the semi-finals of the tournament to the UMass Lowell River Hawks, to the Frozen Four that year.

Now facing an 0-2 hole to the Missouri Mavericks in the Kelly Cup playoffs with the ECHL’s Quad City Mallards, Hoffman is facing another uphill battle, though he’s used to that by now.

The Wilkie, Sask. native declined the chance to play his fourth year of collegiate hockey last March, signing with the Minnesota Wild’s organization, based upon Homman’s belief he was ready for professional hockey.

“Just the way the system was set up, I thought it was a good opportunity to get playing minutes,” said Hoffman.

Though he started the year with the American Hockey League’s Iowa Wild, Hoffman was sent down to Quad City, not necessarily marking a demotion, but a chance to earn regular playing time.

In it, Hoffman was given an opportunity and he seized it. He made 25 saves on 28 shots for his first professional hockey win in his first professional start Oct. 24, 2015.

Mallards head coach Terry Ruskowski didn’t expect to have Hoffman carrying the Mallards into the playoffs at the start of the season given that he wasn’t on the roster for the team’s season opener Oct. 16.

Through a series of players transactions, goalies not reporting, being called up and injured, Hoffman was taken from his backup role in Iowa and has since become Ruskowski’s trusted choice in net.

“When he became my main goalie, he became more adamant in coming on the ice early, working on his fundamentals,” said Ruskowski. “He knew this was his team and he took charge.

“He knew we were depending on him.”

Hoffman’s overall record of 19-17-1 with a goals against average of 2.78 and save percentage of .911 tell the tale of an average season on a playoff-bubble team.

Looking at how Hoffman closed the regular season out, going 5-1 in his final seven games with a 1.68 goals against average and save percentage of .953 over that span, Hoffman knows how to elevate his play at the right time.

“I feel like I’m playing well right now and the team’s playing pretty well overall. Hopefully we can carry the momentum into the playoffs,” added Hoffman. “Anything can happen in the playoffs, so that’s our mindset right now.”

Even if the Mallards get swept or don’t make it out of the first round, Hoffman has now had a taste of success of the professional level. If his previous hockey resumé is any indication, he’ll be hungry for more.