2024 NHL Draft-eligible netminder Gardner named Giuseppe WHL Goaltender of the Week
Calgary, Alta. – Saskatoon Blades netminder Evan Gardner has been named Giuseppe WHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending March 24, 2024, the WHL announced Monday.
This marks the first time Gardner has captured the award this season, though he has previously been named Kal Tire Rookie of the Week twice.
The 18-year-old closed out the final week of the regular season with a pristine 2-0-0-0 record, a 1.49 goals-against average, a .942 save-percentage and a shutout.
Gardner kicked off the week with an overtime thriller against a Calgary Hitmen team battling to remain in the playoff race. The Saskatoon netminder turned aside 22 of the 25 shots he faced, while Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Brandon Lisowsky scored the overtime winner. The victory brought the Blades within one win of clinching the Scotty Munro Trophy as regular season champions.
The Bridge City Bunch clinched the franchise’s fifth Scotty Munro Trophy win on Friday, and the following night, Gardner returned to the crease for the regular-season finale against the rival Raiders in a first-round playoff preview. A season-record 13,004 fans filled the Sasktel Centre to watch Saskatoon battle Prince Albert. Gardner was peppered with 27 shots, including a sharp Harrison Lodewyk wrist shot from the faceoff dot, but steered all clear to secure a 5-0 victory for the home side.
The 6-foot-2, 174-pound netminder closed out his first WHL regular season with a 21-5-0-2 record, becoming one of only two rookies to surpass the 20-win mark.
Gardner finished the campaign ranked first in goals-against average (1.91) and save percentage (.927) and tied for second in shutouts (four).
The Fort St. John, B.C. product is ranked 16th among North American goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting ahead of June’s NHL Entry Draft. Gardner was originally selected by Saskatoon in the third round, 53rd overall, in the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft.
The top-ranked Blades kick off their quest for the Ed Chynoweth puck on Thursday, March 28 at 7:00 p.m. CST when they host Prince Albert for Game One of their 2024 WHL Playoffs first-round series.