LeNeveu posted a 2-1 record in six appearances for the Coyotes earlier this season before he was demoted for the second time on Nov. 28. (Paul Connors/Associated Press)

The night of Nov. 24, 2006, was like many others in David LeNeveu's hockey life.

After watching Minnesota chase Curtis Joseph from the Phoenix Coyotes net, LeNeveu blanked the Wild for the final 13 minutes of a 4-0 loss.

It was the confidence boost that the Coyotes' so-called goalie of the future needed after being yanked by coach Wayne Gretzky in his previous NHL start on Nov. 18 against the Los Angeles Kings.

But little did LeNeveu know that the strong showing would be his last in a Phoenix uniform. He was demoted to San Antonio of the American Hockey League on Nov. 28, the same day Coyotes general manager Mike Barnett acquired Mikael Tellqvist in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I felt great in Phoenix," LeNeveu, who sported a 2-1 record in six appearances, told CBC Sports Online. "I felt I was doing the job they asked me to do. I still don't agree with [the demotion]."

But rather than sulk, the Fernie, B.C., native has spent the last two-and-a-half months working on his game with the Rampage.

And following a period of adjustment, the 23-year-old is starting to reap the rewards of his hard work. In four of his first five starts this month (through Feb. 13), LeNeveu allowed two goals or less and stopped 103 of 109 shots for a .945 save percentage.

Since the start of January, "he’s played the way we expect, the way he played his first year out of college with [AHL] Springfield," said San Antonio coach Pat Conacher.

In that 2003-04 college season, LeNeveu posted a 2.76 goals-against average and .917 save percentage in 38 games, compared to 3.14, .904 totals in 25 contests this campaign.

Changed approach

More than anything, LeNeveu's willingness to alter his playing style from earlier this season has impressed Conacher.

“He was so mechanical before,” said Conacher, who played parts of 15 seasons in the NHL in the 1980s and '90s. “I didn’t think he was using his athletic ability. You need the athleticism in today’s game – the ability to move to the top of the crease, rely on your glove hand and reflexes, and dive across the net. It's what separates those who get to the next level."

In his first game with the Rampage after being sent down, LeNeveu faced 60 Chicago Wolves shots in a 5-4 setback and went on to lose four of his next six starts.

The slow start didn't surprise Coyotes goalie coach Grant Fuhr, who told Sports Online it was a natural response for a young netminder trying to play through the disappointment of being demoted.

"David needed to go and be the guy in San Antonio, to put the team on his back and be the guy every day," said Fuhr, a former NHL goaltender who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2003.

LeNeveu has worked on rebound control with the AHL San Antonio Rampage, something that plagued him in Phoenix. (Paul Connors/Associated Press)

"David was a little deep in his net [earlier in the season], and had issues with rebounds and pucks getting away. Rebound control is such a big thing at the NHL level and David has such great reflexes, but he had to tame it down. At [the AHL] level you can get away with it, but not in the NHL."

So, LeNeveu reverted to the basics and what made him successful last year in two separate stints with Phoenix.

Establishing proper depth in net allowed LeNeveu to cut down the angle against shooters and improve his lateral movement while the confidence in his game soared.

“I’ve played against [New Jersey Devils goalie] Martin Brodeur and [Dallas's] Marty Turco. When they’re playing their best, they are supremely confident they’re going to make every save,” said LeNeveu, who was also assigned to the minors after training camp and recalled in late October.

“When I’m at my best, I know I can make every save, even when a guy has three or four cracks at the puck. I know I’m going to stop every one because I’m in control of the game in my end. I believe I’m there now."

Path to NHL blocked

Problem is, the road to getting back to Phoenix might be a long one.

Tellqvist, despite giving up 14 goals in his last three starts, has been decent (3.22, .893) and was rewarded with a two-year contract on Feb. 16. And though Joseph could be attractive to a contending team as the NHL’s Feb. 27 trade deadline approaches - he’s eligible to become an unrestricted free agent July 1 – there are no guarantees.

“All that matters is what I do here,” LeNeveu said. “If I do my job here [in San Antonio], the opportunities will open up.”

What remains clear in talking with Fuhr is LeNeveu's future with the Coyotes, who drafted him 46th overall in 2002.

"I think he's making huge progress," said Fuhr of LeNeveu, who set an American college record in 2003 with a 1.20 GAA for Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. "There's no question Lenny's an immense talent.

"I still have huge hopes for him. We're excited to have five good goalies in our system - LeNeveu, Tellqvist, Mike Morrison, Josh Tordjman and Pier-Olivier Pelletier."

LeNeveu's NHL dreams go on

Rampage captain Bryan Helmer, who played with LeNeveu in Springfield during the 2003-04 season, said the netminder has the right attitude to succeed as a professional.

"He wants to prove to himself that he belongs in the NHL,” said the defenceman, who has played 134 NHL games for three teams. “He’s battling hard on the puck and it’s showing in his play. He’s such a competitive guy and gives us the opportunity to win games.

“He’s also a great guy off the ice, easy to talk to.”

If LeNeveu remains in the AHL for the rest of the season, Conacher would like to see him take control and become San Antonio's go-to guy in net down the stretch.

“I would love to let him go play 60 games and be the guy,” said Conacher. “You have to let the young guys play and give them a chance to succeed. Being a goalie is the most important thing in his life and he works hard every day.

“If I’m him, I’m thinking, ‘I’m going to be a big reason for getting the Rampage into the playoffs.’

"[The NHL dream] is never over until you say it’s over."