'He's going to keep getting better': Oettinger's rise is no surprise

Jake Oettinger has been impressive in so many ways this season, but one of the most unheralded is his ability to step into a game and play well.

The Stars rookie goalie has been called upon to relieve starter Anton Khudobin in five games and has posted a .938 save percentage in those contests, including stopping 27 of 28 shots Monday in a 5-4 overtime loss to Florida.

Oettinger's heroics helped the Stars get a standings point out of the game and almost allowed a miracle comeback. It was just one more feather in the cap of what has been a spectacular rookie season for the 22-year-old from Lakeville, Minnesota.

"He's handled the pressure all year," Stars captain Jamie Benn said when asked about Oettinger's performance Monday. "He stepped in and did a great job for us. He made some big saves and kept us in it."

Oettinger said he was particularly motivated by his only poor performance in relief this year - April 22 against Detroit - when he allowed three goals on 13 shots. It was a harsh lesson, and one he said he learned from.

"It's my job to be ready no matter what," Oettinger said. "I wasn't good enough when I went in in Detroit. Tonight, I knew I had to be better."

It's been an interesting phenomenon for Stars rookies this season. Oettinger struggled early in overtime and then improved. He learned from one bad game in Detroit. Jason Robertson, meanwhile, was a healthy scratch at the beginning of the season, worked himself into the lineup and became one of the team's hottest scorers.

Robertson has eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points over his past 15 games. Oettinger is 4-2-1 in his past seven decisions, with two of the losses coming in relief. He has a 2.05 goals-against average and .922 save percentage over that span.

In other words, both rookies are playing their best hockey during crunch time.

"Every young player is going to get better," Stars coach Rick Bowness said. "The first thing you have to do is find out if you're good enough to play in the league. Once you convince yourself of that, it takes a couple of years of experience to realize how good you can be."

Bowness was talking about the advancement of Roope Hintz but included Robertson and Oettinger in that group.

"For young players, you come in and make mistakes," he said. "You don't know the intensity of the league, travel, games, pressure. You've got to live through all of that. The more experience you gain and the more confidence you gain from that experience, you just become a better player."

As for working with players like Oettinger and Robertson, Bowness said that's been the fun part of a difficult season. The fact that the players are processing information and growing is rewarding to watch.

"I love working with young players and helping them grow," Bowness said. "A kid like Jake, or Robo, they're the future of the team, the future of the franchise, and they're going to keep getting better."

Oettinger has a great pedigree. He's 6-4, 204 and was drafted in the first round (26th overall) in 2017. He's excelled in college at Boston University and in international play, so this is just the next step.

Bowness has been the defensive assistant for Stanley Cup finalists in Vancouver and Tampa Bay, so he's worked with some great goalies in Roberto Luongo and Andrei Vasilevskiy, and said Oettinger shares many of the same traits.

"Jake is a tremendous competitor, we've talked about that from Day 1," said Bowness. "He's a tremendous worker. I worked with Luongo, and Vasi in Tampa, and they're great goalies. The two things they had other than their great abilities is they worked their butts off and were great competitors. When your teammates see your goalie working that hard and competing that hard, they want to play in front of him. Jake is a young guy, and we all know he could've spent this year in Austin, but that didn't happen. But what he's done is he's proven to himself, and just as important to his teammates, that this is the league he belongs in right now."

The Stars have three goalies in Oettinger, Khudobin and Ben Bishop under contract for next season, so that'll have to be sorted out in the offseason. With that being said, Oettinger's philosophy of simply taking one shot at a time should serve him well.

"I'm just trying to make the first save and focus on that," he said, when asked about his mindset coming on in relief. "Once you get a couple shots and saves, I felt like I was in the game the whole night."

That's a great sign because dealing with adversity is a big part of the job and so far Dallas' baby-faced netminder is handling it well. He also has a personality you can't help but love.

"He's going to keep getting better," Bowness said. "They need experience, they need to learn the ups and downs and the highs and the lows and how to balance it all. That's all part of becoming a pro. That doesn't happen overnight. He has some experiences and when it doesn't go well, you're either going to fold from it or you're going to learn and grow from it. Jake and Robo, and these kids, are going to learn and grow from it."

Victory Club memberships are available now for 2021-22! Beyond season tickets, don't miss your chance to secure the best seats for Stars home games, plus exclusive benefits, members-only experiences and much more. Click here to learn more!

This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.

Mike Heika is a Senior Staff Writer for DallasStars.com and has covered the Stars since 1994. Follow him on Twitter @MikeHeika, and listen to his podcast.