You can hear Tom McCollum on the ice no problem, barking orders to his defencemen to help them track opposition forwards and keep the puck away from his net. But soft-spoken and humble off it, the Belfast Giants goaltender is quick to deflect praise away.
As the Giants’ Player of the Month for October, the 34-year-old American is deserving of the plaudits after two shut-outs and a .932 save percentage in seven games across an outstanding month, as well as seemingly having edged out Jackson Whistle for the starter’s jersey in the bigger games.
It hasn’t always been smooth sailing for McCollum, who has had a couple of lopsided games against him – conceding five on three occasions – but the New York native believes he is now settling into life in Belfast more comfortably and, with the help of a more settled and accustomed defence in front of him, he’s ready to turn in more performances like those in October.
“As a goaltender, when you win (Player of the Month), it’s actually a compliment to the entire team. I’m only one player, and I can only do as well as the team help me. I happen to be the beneficiary of that,” he deflects.
“There’s a lot of things that go unnoticed, a lot of massive shot blocks, some big stick lifts to help me either kill plays or see a puck cleanly and not having to stop a deflection. Stuff like that is so important.
“It has been a mindset adjustment. In Regensburg, we had a very good team but we knew we couldn’t skate with every team, so we had to play sit-back and focus on our counter-attack.
“Here, we have a very talented team and we’re a bit more aggressive, which is great. Sometimes it’s tough because that can lead to better chances against, so that’s part of the challenge, but at the same time, the guys do a great job at getting back and helping me out.”
Now, the task is for the Giants to take their Challenge Cup form that has seen them finish as top seedings for the knock-outs and translate that to their Elite League bid, which sees them seven points adrift of the Cardiff Devils – albeit having played two games less than their rivals.
While that’s not actually a terrible place to be in given the Giants typically backload their schedule with home games, it is ground to make up as opposed to a lead to defend, and McCollum admits they are excited to have a one-competition mindset now.
Between now and their Cup Semi-Final on February 12, the Giants will play 28 games in the League. With all of their interest in one competition for the time being, the netminder believes that can only be a positive.
“I can’t speak for everyone but, honestly, I sometimes struggle to follow it. I just try and win every game I play and take it from there,” he laughs.
“It’ll be great for the team, though, give us that singular focus and hone in on trying to play that next game.
“Sometimes we fell into a lull of ‘we’re playing these guys again’. It’s a little more exciting to play a different set of opponents. Every team we’ve played has challenged us in different ways.”
Assistant coach George Awada, meanwhile, has praised the netminding tandem of McCollum and Whistle, who have shared the starts almost evenly in the 2024/25 season and have frequently given the coaching staff selection headaches with some excellent performances.
“I don’t know if it helps them with their confidence or not, but it helps their bodies get rest,” he says of the rotation between the pipes.
“The competition is good, and that’s what we want. It’s good for the team that, no matter who they’ve got behind them, they know they’re going to stop the puck. It gives them security on the back end.
“Jackson has picked up on last season, while Tom is new to the League but he’s shown his calibre. It’s nice to have those options for each game.”