BLAZERS PIPELINE TO NHL CONTINUES, DYLAN GARAND MAKES NHL DEBUT
With Dylan Garand making his NHL debut for the New York Rangers on March 22, 2026, the Kamloops Blazers development pipeline has officially reached a remarkable milestone.
Garand’s start against the Winnipeg Jets marks the seventh Blazers alumnus to debut in the NHL since the 2023 season.
Over the last three seasons, the following players have made the jump from the Sandman Centre to the NHL:
Dylan Garand — New York Rangers
Emmitt Finnie — Detroit Red Wings
Harrison Brunicke — Pittsburgh Penguins
Fraser Minten — Toronto Maple Leafs / Boston Bruins
Logan Stankoven — Dallas Stars / Carolina Hurricanes
Olen Zellweger — Anaheim Ducks
Connor Zary — Calgary Flames
A fourth-round pick in 2020, Garand has spent parts of four seasons in the AHL with Hartford. He earned AHL All-Star honours in 2024-25 after posting a career-high 20 wins and a .913 save percentage.
Harrison Brunicke made his NHL debut earlier this season with Pittsburgh, recording a goal through his first nine games.
Emmitt Finnie cracked the Red Wings roster out of training camp and has produced 26 points in 70 games, while adding 107 hits and 36 blocked shots.
Fraser Minten debuted with Toronto in 2023–24 before being dealt to Boston in 2025. He has since put up 31 points in 70 games this season with the Bruins.
Logan Stankoven broke into the league with Dallas before being moved in the 2025 blockbuster involving Mikko Rantanen. Now with Carolina, he has tallied 32 points in 69 games.
On the backend, Olen Zellweger continues to develop with Anaheim, posting 19 points in 68 games, while Connor Zary has added 24 points in 67 games for Calgary after making the Flames out of camp in 2023–24.
