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Getting traded is never an easy thing but for Soo Greyhounds goaltender Christian Propp, the opportunity that presented itself was an exciting proposition for the overage goaltender.
The opportunity to play with the Greyhounds is one that Propp was ecstatic about when he found out he had been dealt by the North Bay Battalion.
“I’m in awe of the city and the organization,” Propp said. “A lot of guys have that stigma of coming to the north and that they don’t want to come up here but when I found out I was coming up here, I was ecstatic.”
“Once I head the news, I was pretty pumped to get going here,” Propp added.
The Greyhounds ability to develop players is something that makes the move a positive one as well for the overage goaltender.
“There’s a lot of quality talent,” Propp said. “They put an emphasis on two things that I appreciate and respect. Number one is winning. Winning has been a part of the history here. It’s something that is taken seriously compared to some other places I’ve been. The second thing for me is development. It’s about winning and development here. As an athlete and a person, I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be in an environment like this.”
Propp is entering his fourth full Ontario Hockey League after breaking into the league full time with the Barrie Colts in the 2016-17 season. The veteran netminder got his first taste of OHL action with a pair of games as a 16-year-old with the Colts in the 2015-16 season.
“A couple things have helped me get to where I am,” Propp said. “One thing is maturity. I came into this league as a 16-year-old kid. Now I’m 20-years-old, I’m a little more grown up and the maturity factor has played a large part. And the experience of getting games under my belt and riding the highs and the lows or junior hockey.”
Propp has garnered attention in his career for some big performances in the playoffs. Despite a five-game series loss to the Niagara IceDogs last season while with North Bay, Propp posted a 0.929 save percentage in the series. The 20-year-old had a pair of 50-save performances in the series and stopped over 40 in the other three games.
“Anybody who watched or followed that series knew that he did everything he could to give (North Bay) the best opportunity to win,” Greyhounds general manager Kyle Raftis said at the time of the deal in mid-June. “The series went the way it went but we saw him reach that level. It shows what he’s capable of doing.”
“I just love the intensity of playoff hockey,” Propp said. “I’ve had some great games in the playoffs. I had a triple-overtime game my second year in North Bay.”
The triple-overtime game was game five of North Bay’s first round series against Kingston and saw Propp make 71 saves in a 6-5 loss to the Frontenacs.
The increased emotion of a playoff game helps him take his game to another level come playoff time and he tries to approach every scoring chance the same way, regardless of the quality of the chance.
“It’s just the intensity and what’s at stake,” Propp said. “Every game is important and as a goaltender, every shot on goal and the end zone time that the opposition has, it’s very critical that I’m at the top of my game. I just try to play every shot the same.”
Propp got his first exhibition start with the Greyhounds on Saturday night in a 7-2 win over the Sudbury Wolves in Sudbury.
Propp garnered some praise from Greyhounds coach John Dean following the game.
“Christian really settled us down, especially in the first period,” Dean said. “We traded chances a little bit at the beginning and Christian was great.”
Dean credited Propp’s ability to play the puck, calling it “critical for our system.”
“Christian played the puck extremely well,” Dean added.
Propp made 25 saves for the Greyhounds in the game.