Eric Tu takes hold of Calgary Hitmen’s starting job in his second year

The Hitmen are off to a good start to the season, and goalie Eric Tu has played a big role in that early success.

Last year, goaltender Eric Tu played the role of observer with the Calgary Hitmen.

Tu was 16 years old, and the Hitmen had two veteran goaltenders in Daniel Hauser and Anders Miller, and that limited Tu to just 16 games.

Tu says it was actually a good situation to be in, despite the lack of action.

“Every game I got in, I found it was a learning experience, and that’s really carried over into this year and being more comfortable with my starts,” he said.

“Being able to see older guys like Hauser and Miller, watching them practice and play in games, learning from them, was really beneficial for me.”

Earned starting job

The Hitmen started the year with three goaltenders.

The 19-year-old Miller was back.

He was joined by 17-year-old American Aidan Hesse and Tu.

When the dust settled, Miller had been traded to the Everett Silvertips, and Tu had won the starting job.

Tu is proving it was the right call.

In 20 games, he’s 11-7-2 with a 2.37 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.

Tu knew he was ready to take the next step, despite being only 17.

“I’m really grateful for the opportunity, but I don’t think I’ve surprised myself at all,” the Surrey, B.C., product said.

“I’m confident in my game, and I know where my game can be.

“I think I see a lot of potential in myself, and being the starter for the Calgary Hitmen is definitely an honour.”

Theo Zubot, goaltending coach for the Hitmen, also feels Tu was ready to take the next step.

“He’s done a really good job,” Zubot said.

“I think he’s come into this season (and is) really taking what we worked on last season and has just built on top of it.

“He’s continued to be the hard worker he’s always been, and he’s finding success at this moment.”

Big expectations

As good as Tu has been this season, Zubot thinks he could get even better.

“We’re really focused on hammering down his fundamentals and making sure every day is consistent in that, then making small tweaks along the way,” Zubot said.

“Little things are going to make a big difference in his game, and making sure every day everything stays nice and connected.

“He’s still learning—at 17 years old, he’s playing a lot of games, but it’s about development at the same time because he’s still very young.”

Tu and the Hitmen play the Swift Current Broncos at home on Wednesday night.