By Joel Smart (The Cascade) – Email
Date Posted: October 24, 2011
Print Edition: October 19, 2011
Aaron Volpatti, AKA Peppermint Patti, is only the second player from Revelstoke to ever play in the NHL, the first in 25 years. The hardworking 26-year-old should also inspire aspiring hockey players in the province considering he was signed by the Canucks without ever being drafted; on top of that he was late to develop, not attending his first Canucks prospect camp until he was 25.
Though he only played 15 NHL games with the Canucks last season, he scored his first goal December 20 on a beautiful set up from Alexandre Boluc during a determined fourth-line effort against the Saint Louis Blues. Tanner Glass, a player who he’s been repeatedly compared to, slammed Alex Pietrangelo into the boards to set up the play, and so a scrum developed after the goal. “I was ready to celebrate, then I’m like, ‘OK, we might have something going on here’,” Volpatti told The Province in an interview. “Either way, it would have been good,” he laughed. Though it’s unlikely he’ll ever be known for his scoring touch, the six-foot, 215-pound forward is proving he’s got what it takes to play in the League with pure grit and determination.
The Canucks signed Volpatti as a free agent on March 22, 2010, and he played just eight games of the 2009-2010 season and 53 of the 2010-2011 season with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose. During that period, he managed three goals and 13 points overall. He earned a name for himself by taking on some of the toughest fighters in the AHL, while also being able to play smart hockey. A quick YouTube search shows that he knows how to throw a punch. An October 9, 2010, fight against the beastly Wade Brookbank showcased the calibre of opponent Volpatti can not only hold his own with, but actually declare victory against. Just eight days after his first goal, he fought Philadelphia Flyer Sean O’Donnell twice in the same night, with a decisive victory in the first, and the slight edge in the latter affair.
San Jose Shark Brad Winchester found himself in a confused heap—legs splayed awkwardly on either side of his body—after the two chose to engage in a fight with a minute left in the second period of their September 29 preseason meeting this year. That Winchester looked like a hapless cartoon character afterward was further reinforced by the fact that it only took Volpatti a single punch to exact his justice. The fight (if you can call it that) has granted him “legendary” status, with over 135,000 hits on YouTube.
The Canucks have faced increasing criticism lately over their lack of toughness, about the way they respond to goons on opposing teams taking advantage of their top players – or rather, how they don’t respond. After being called on their lack of grit and physicality last season, they’ve shipped away even more of it in the off-season. That means an increased role for Volpatti this year, as his is tasked with defending his team – effectively but also smartly.
Before being signed by the Canucks, Volpatti played three seasons in the BCHL with the Vernon Vipers (from 2003-2006) and four seasons with Brown University in the NCAA Division 1 (from 2006-2010). He was 18 before he began playing in the BCHL and 21 when he joined the team at Brown. According to The Province, his late start was because he felt that staying home and finishing school was more important – subsequently, he studied biology during his time at Brown. An academic tough guy, I guess the comparison to Tanner Glass isn’t that far off after all.
