Michigan Tech has added another recruit to their list. Jamie Phillips, goaltender for the Powell River Kings (BCHL), announced his intentions to play college hockey at Michigan Tech earlier today. He becomes the second goaltender in just over a month to commit to the Huskies, joining Pheonix Copley from the Tri-City Storm (USHL). Phillips, who joined the Kings just before training camp kicked off, is a large goalie who has solid fluid movements, stays square to shooters and flat-out stops pucks. The 6’3″ native of Caledonia, Ontario, has managed to out-play teammate and Boston University recruit Sean Maguire. That’s a pretty amazing feat considering Maguire was recently chosen to represent Team Canada West in the 2011 World Junior A Challenge. If that tournament sounds familiar, it’s because Maguire and future Husky Jujhar Khaira were both members of the Gold Medal Canada West Team. Maguire was the main goaltender in the tournament but when he returned to Powell River, Phillips was on a roll. Thus far Phillips has proven to be a reliable goaltender as he leads the BCHL in Goals Against Average (2.14) and Shutouts (4) and sits second in Save Percentage (.917) among goalies with at least 20 games played.
Prior to joining the Power River Kings, Phillips played the 2010–11 season with the Pembroke Lumber Kings of the CCHL. He was just as dominant with the Lumber Kings, leading all goalies in GAA (2.13) and shutouts (6) and finishing fourth in Save Percentage (.913). As the main goaltender, he finished with a 25–6–1 record and led the Lumber Kings to the CCHL Championship, the Fred Page Cup (awarded annually to the round robin champion between the CCHL, MHL, and QJAAAHL league champions) and the 2011 Royal Bank Cup National Championship. During the Lumber Kings’ CCHL playoff run, Phillips once again was far better than the competition, leading all goalies in GAA (1.50) and Save Percentage (.919) and showing that he can compete with the top goaltenders in the BCHL. Phillips is a former fourth round pick of the Sarnia Sting back in 2009, but he has elected to bypass the OHL route in pursuit of a Division I NCAA scholarship. Phillips is now fortunate enough to showcase his skills with one of the top development teams in the BCHL before heading to Houghton in 2013.
Michigan Tech has done well with this one. On paper, it does not appear that they could have done better at this point. There are very few 18-year-old goaltenders putting up better statistics throughout junior hockey. Between Pheonix Copley and Jamie Phillips, Mel Pearson’s goaltending situation appears to be in great shape for years to come. Look for a more in-depth feature on Jamie Phillips and the rest of Michigan Tech’s future recruits starting in January.
Tim is a 2004 graduate of Michigan Tech. He is a co-founder of both Mitch’s Misfits and Tech Hockey Guide. With recent additions to the staff, Tim is again able to focus on his passion, recruiting. He currently works as an environmental engineer and resides in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Area.
