Being a rookie in the NHL can be tough. Athletes who are used to being the stars of their teams suddenly have to take a back seat to the veterans in the locker room, while trying to prove to their team that they belong on the ice. This pressure tends to be magnified in traditional hockey markets, such as Detroit, where the vast history of success is not lost on fans and players alike.

Born in Amherst, New York, goalie Tom McCollum had many eyes on him after the Red Wings made him their first round selection (30th overall) in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. McCollum had the tough task of transitioning from a successful junior career (spent with the Guelph Storm and the Brampton Battalion of the OHL), to a professional career in which he has to battle for a spot with the Detroit Red Wings, who are known for having one of the deepest farm systems in the league.

To add to the pressure, McCollum’s first NHL training camp was in 2008, the summer after Detroit had won the Stanley Cup. But he took the whole experience in stride, “It was an extremely thrilling training camp. They had just won the Stanley Cup that June, so everybody was really excited. They had a really talented team. They had just added Marian Hossa to the mix so it was hard to not be star struck.”

Just months before that training camp, McCollum had wrapped up a strong 2007-08 season with the Guelph Storm which saw him win 25 games while posting a .914 save percentage. His strong numbers on an otherwise underwhelming Storm team caught the eye of some NHL scouts. McCollum was aware that he was getting some first round buzz in that spring’s draft, but didn’t expect to be selected by the Detroit Red Wings.

“I didn’t talk to Detroit very much. I had a meeting with them at the NHL Combine but it was very brief. I think I was only in there for 5 minutes. They just asked me a couple of general questions about my family. They told me that they’d love to pick me, but that they didn’t think I would still be on the board when they selected. They just said that they wanted to meet me to see what I was about. Fortunately for everybody I was still available when they got to pick. It was a huge honour. It was really cool getting to hear Steve Yzerman calling your name, being one of the most iconic Red Wings that there is. It was just a really exciting time for my family.”

After that first training camp in 2008, the Red Wings would assign McCollum back to Guelph for his third and final OHL season. After starting the 2008-09 season with a sparkling .926 save percentage in 31 games, the Brampton Battalion acquired him from the Storm in order to gear up for a long playoff run. At the time, McCollum understandably had mixed emotions, “I have to admit, at the time I was sad to be leaving Guelph, but I was really excited for the opportunity in Brampton. I knew they had a great team and that we could put together a good playoff run. Once I got there, I was glad to see that they had a special group of guys.”

Upon reflection, McCollum credits playing with such a strong Battalion team for preparing him to make the jump to professional hockey, “One of the biggest things that helped me transition to the pros was getting to practice against players like Cody Hodgson, Matt Duchene, Evgeny Grachev, Anthony Peluso. To face guys of that calibre everyday forces you to be better, especially when you’re seeing the best players in the league, day in, day out.”

McCollum finished the regular season with a .929 save percentage with the Battalion. He would then backstop Brampton through 21 playoff games, only to lose to Taylor Hall’s Windsor Spitfires in the OHL Finals.

Over his first couple of seasons within Detroit’s farm system, McCollum spent significant time honing his craft in both the ECHL and AHL. Being a student of the game, he used the profound differences in each league’s style of play to work on distinct aspects of his game.

While playing with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL, McCollum learned to feel comfortable with fast and hectic gameplay. “It’s a different game down there. Only having 3 lines of forwards and 6 defensemen, the games can get kind of scrambly, especially with all of the travel that you have. You have some guys at different stages of their career who can get a little more helter skelter. As a goalie, I think it’s fun because it puts a lot of the pressure on you to find ways to make saves. You get put in tough spots in games; tough situations where you have to find ways to make big saves, which I personally find is a lot of fun.”

By contrast, McCollum found that the play of the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins was much more polished. “As far as the AHL goes, it’s a different ball game. Every team is loaded with extremely talented guys and everybody is trying to push to make it to the next level. They are definitely very intense games, which makes it a lot of fun. The talent level makes things happen that much quicker, which keeps you on your toes.”

During the 2010-11 season, McCollum would finally get called up to the Red Wings. As a backup goalie, his “Welcome to the NHL” moment happened on a team flight well before he got his first taste of in-game action.

“I was on one of my first road trips, so I didn’t know where I was supposed to sit on the plane. I didn’t want to bother anybody so I waited outside until all of the guys were gone.  Unfortunately for me all of the seats were taken. That is, all of them except for the one next to Nickas Lidstrom. I contemplated just sitting in the bathroom for the entire flight.  I ended up sitting in the seat next to him and he was great about the whole thing. He was just talking to me and making me feel welcome. As I was getting off of the plane Chris Osgood told me ‘Great job. He hasn’t sat next to anyone in the last 15 years.’ Perfect. Glad I could break the streak.”

During that first stint in the NHL, McCollum only managed to play 15 minutes of one game before being sent back to Grand Rapids. He wouldn’t get another crack with the Red Wings until the 2014-15 season, once again as the backup.

In a January game against Buffalo, he got another chance to play after the starter got pulled with Detroit down 3-0. The Red Wings would comeback and win the game 6-4 with McCollum receiving his first career NHL win. “I was fortunate that after I went in, the team really stepped up their game and played extremely well,” McCollum reflects. “For myself, it was a surreal experience. I think one of the coolest things about it was that my parents were in the stands at the Joe for the game. It was also cool in the sense that I’ve grown up watching the Buffalo Sabres since I was 2 years old. So to be able to beat them with family and friends watching the game back home was really neat. I got a lot of texts and phone calls after that.”

Since that game against Buffalo, McCollum has not had another shot with the Red Wings. While he has only played three NHL games, there just haven’t been too many opportunities to advance in a Detroit system that is so deep at the goalie position. But McCollum has learned to accept the reality of his situation as opposed to stressing about it.

“I’ll be honest, I think when I first turned pro—playing in Grand Rapids—I worried about the deep goalie system too much. I think part of that goes back to being a first round pick and putting too much pressure on myself. I knew what was expected and I wanted to get there as soon as possible. I ended up losing focus on the task at hand. As I’ve gotten older I have been able to balance the expectations better.”

This past season, with his 211th career AHL game played on February 12, McCollum passed Joey MacDonald for Grand Rapids’ team record for career games played by a goalie. While this distinction is as dubious as it is impressive, there is still hope for career advancement.

McCollum doesn’t have to look any further than his own organization for an example of a possible career path. Current Detroit starter Jimmy Howard, wasn’t able to crack the NHL full-time until he was 25 years-old. This comparison isn’t lost on McCollum.

“I think Howie’s a great example for myself, seeing as we play in the same organization. I hear about it all the time from being in Grand Rapids, just about how long he spent there. I think it helps to be able to talk to him. He definitely helped to give me some perspective. I look at other guys too. I know Corey Crawford was playing for Rockford for a long time, and he even got passed over by Antti Niemi at one point in Chicago. He eventually found a way to make a great home for himself there. It’s stories like that that keep you going, along with a firm belief in yourself.”

When looking back on that first Red Wings training camp in 2008, McCollum remembers a key piece of advice that one of the goalie coaches had shared with him. “Just watch the puck. When you’re worried about who’s shooting the puck, that’s when you get scored on. At the end of the day you can hang with these guys, you can definitely stop them when you’re focusing on your job.”

McCollum isn’t the star struck kid that he once was. Six years of professional hockey and a Calder Cup Championship has matured him to the point that he isn’t concerned about who’s shooting the puck, but rather how he’s going to stop it. Goalies have to be mentally tough, seeing as the occupation of “NHL goalie” only has 60 spots open on a given day.

This summer McCollum is an unrestricted free agent, and he and his agent are charged with the task of identifying his next opportunity to crack the NHL. Whether this opportunity comes in Detroit, or in another organization, one thing is certain. Tom McCollum is ready to compete.

Follow the author on twitter @twaind4