CHL Eye on Awards: Goaltender of the Year
As the regular season winds to a close, playoff races are heating up. So too is the chase for the Vaughn Goaltender of the Year Award, presented annually to the Canadian Hockey League’s top netminder. This season has offered up a handful of contenders, including three goaltenders from each of the Western Hockey League, Ontario Hockey League, and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, plus a tandem pairing from each:
Michael DiPietro (Ottawa, OHL) – 35 GP, 22-11-0-1, 3 SO, 2.46 GAA, .910 SV%
It has been a hectic season for DiPietro, who after beginning the year with the Windsor Spitfires was acquired by Ottawa in a December trade prior to joining Team Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. The 19-year-old has since settled in with his new club, posting 11 wins in 14 games while splitting the netminding duties with Cedrick Andree. The Amherstburg, Ont., native, who owns an OHL-leading 2.46 goals-against average, packed one more stop into his schedule this season, as he made his NHL debut in February with the Vancouver Canucks, who selected him with the 64th pick in the 2017 NHL Draft. DiPietro won the Memorial Cup with Windsor in 2017 and hopes to cap off this season the same way with Ottawa.
Cedrick Andree (Ottawa, OHL) – 41 GP, 31-5-1-2, 3 SO, 2.53 GAA, .911 SV%
Despite splitting duties with trade acquisition Michael DiPietro, the Orleans, Ont., netminder has still seen plenty of time between the pipes this season for his hometown team. The 67’s goaltender is in his second season in the junior circuit and has had little difficulty adapting to an increased workload this year. The 18-year-old sits fourth in the OHL with 31 wins on the season for the top-seeded 67’s, including a stretch earlier this year where he peeled off 13-straight victories and went unbeaten in regulation in 20 consecutive contests. His most impressive feat came in a 38-save shutout performance against the rival Oshawa Generals in late January. Selected in the 12th round of the 2016 OHL Priority Selection, Andree has proven to be a shrewd pick by the 67’s.
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Sudbury, OHL) – 47 GP, 34-9-2-2, 5 SO, 2.54 GAA, .918 SV%
The Finnish netminder has excelled in his first season in North America, where his play in the blue paint has helped the Wolves lock down a playoff position for just the second time in the past five seasons. On the international stage, Luukkonen linked up with his native Finland at this year’s world juniors where he posted a .932 save percentage across six tournament games to help the Finns capture their third gold medal in the past six years. With the Wolves, Luukkonen has recorded five shutouts on the season, the most by a Sudbury netminder since Franky Palazzese also notched five during 2013-14. Luukkonen caught fire earlier this season when he posted 11-straight victories, and 19 wins over a 21-game stretch. The 19-year-old was a second-round pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2017.
Kyle Keyser (Oshawa, OHL) – 43 GP, 29-7-3-0, 2 SO, 2.80 GAA, .914 SV%
Keyser has continued to put up formidable performances as he rounds out his fourth season in the OHL and third with the Generals in search of his first championship. Last month, he reeled off his best stretch of the season by winning six straight games, including two victories in extra time, as he combined for a .908 save rate over the two-week period. Keyser missed time earlier this season as he was part of Team USA at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship, where he appeared in two games in a backup role and captured the silver medal. The 19-year-old native of Coral Springs, Fla., inked an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins in 2017 as an undrafted free agent.
Trent Miner (Vancouver, WHL) – 29 GP, 22-4-1-1, 2 SO, 2.01 GAA, .925 SV%
The Brandon, Man., native has split duties with teammate David Tendeck this season, but when he has been between the pipes, he has been near perfect, only seeing four regulation losses through 29 appearances. The 18-year-old holds the third-best goals-against average and save percentage among eligible WHL goaltenders this season, making him a prime target for the 2019 NHL Draft, as he ranked sixth among North American netminders in NHL Central Scouting’s midterm report. The Giants goaltender is currently riding a seven-game streak in which he has gone unbeaten in regulation. Miner is competing in his first full season in Vancouver after being selected with the 20th pick in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft.
David Tendeck (Vancouver, WHL) – 35 GP, 22-10-1-1, 4 SO, 2.50 GAA, .908 SV%
A sixth-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in last year’s draft, the North Vancouver, B.C., native has continued to shine in his third full season with his hometown Giants. This season has seen Tendeck share the netminding duties with teammate Trent Miner, as both have put up solid numbers and made it difficult to give up the net. Tendeck, 19, has won his last three outings, while he has only seen one regulation loss in his last 11 appearances, posting a 9-1-0-1 record, including a stretch where he notched two shutouts in three games. Tendeck has played a big role in the Giants locking down first place in the B.C. Division, with the team now preparing to make even more noise in the postseason.
Dustin Wolf (Everett, WHL) – 57 GP, 40-13-2-1, 7 SO, 1.71 GAA, .936 SV%
A three-time recipient of Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week honours this season – the only CHL netminder to claim the award as many times this year – Wolf continues to intrigue scouts ahead of the 2019 NHL Draft. Ranked 17th among North American netminders in Central Scouting’s midterm report, Wolf is currently riding a four-game win streak in which he has surrendered just three goals on 95 shots, good for a .968 save percentage. He’s also suffered just one regulation loss in his last 10 outings, posting a 7-1-1-1 showing over that stretch. In just his second WHL season, the 17-year-old Californian sits atop the entire CHL circuit with seven shutouts. It’s that sort of performance that has helped the Silvertips claim the U.S. Division title for the third year running.
Ian Scott (Prince Albert, WHL) – 45 GP, 35-7-1-2, 5 SO, 1.90 GAA, .931 SV%
You can’t write a better start to the season than what happened with Ian Scott, the Raiders netminder and Toronto Maple Leafs prospect who posted a remarkable 23-1-0-1 showing through his first 25 games of 2018-19. The high-flying Raiders have impressed all season, alongside Scott, who in mid-November was rewarded with Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week honours, a stretch that in part recognized his 43-save shutout against the Medicine Hat Tigers. The 20-year-old native of Calgary is rounding out his fourth season in juniors, and given his team’s play this season, ending it with the Ed Chynoweth Cup and possibly a Memorial Cup win remains a possibility.
Samuel Harvey (Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL) – 40 GP, 33-7-0-0, 4 SO, 2.09 GAA, .924 SV%
The overage and undrafted Huskies netminder is giving talent evaluators a reason to take a second look this season as he continues to build on last year’s successful campaign. Harvey, 21, ranks first in the QMJHL with the top goals-against average and save percentage. The Alma, Que., native is also currently running a 15-game win streak that sits just four back of the QMJHL record, set by Adam Russo of the Acadie-Bathurst Titan in 2001-02. That stretch has powered the Huskies to top spot in the QMJHL as well as the entire CHL, with Rouyn-Noranda boasting a 54-7-0-1 record and 109 points through 62 games.
Zachary Emond (Rouyn-Noranda, QMJHL) – 24 GP, 21-0-0-1, 6 SO, 1.74 GAA, .932 SV%
It’s one thing for a netminder to have a perfect game, but Emond has nearly had a perfect season, as he’s yet to record a regulation loss through 24 games, while his only defeat came in a shootout. This season has seen Emond, a sixth-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in 2018, split duties with Huskies teammate Samuel Harvey. The 18-year-old native of St-Cyprien, Que., has won his last eight appearances, which included two shutouts over a three-game stretch. Emond is in his second full season in the QMJHL and hopes to conclude it with the President’s Cup as well as a trip to the Memorial Cup.
Olivier Rodrigue (Drummondville, QMJHL) – 47 GP, 35-8-2-1, 3 SO, 2.41 GAA, .903 SV%
Only three QMJHL netminders have seen more action this season than Rodrigue, who leads the league with 35 wins. The product of Chicoutimi, Que., caught fire through February, as he went unbeaten in regulation for an 8-0-0-1 record, including a 32-save shutout against the Charlottetown Islanders. In mid-January, the 18-year-old was recognized as the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week. A second-round selection by the Edmonton Oilers in last year’s draft, Rodrigue is competing in his third season with the Voltigeurs. Rodrigiue’s performance this year has been a big factor in Drummondville capturing top spot in the Central Division.
Colten Ellis (Rimouski, QMJHL) – 44 GP, 27-13-2-0, 3 SO, 2.42 GAA, .912 SV%
A busy season has meant plenty of time between the pipes for Ellis, who also starred for Team Orr at the 2019 Sherwin-Williams CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, where he turned aside 15 shots from a handful of top players in this year’s NHL Draft class. The hectic year will continue in June for Ellis, as the 18-year-old from Whycocomagh, N.S., was ranked seventh among North American netminders, per Central Scouting’s midterm assessment, ahead of the 2019 NHL Draft. With the Oceanic, Ellis has brought his game to the next level since the calendar turned to 2019, as he owns an 11-3-0-0 record since the start of January.