WHL Stars & NHL Debuts: A Garand performance at Madison Square Garden
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Dylan Garand is an NHL goaltender.
The 23-year-old from Victoria, B.C., found his sea legs with the New York Rangers in a 3-2 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Sunday.
Welcome to the League, Dylan Garand! 🗽
The @NYRangers goalie is making his NHL debut today. pic.twitter.com/shleXaiHk8
— NHL (@NHL) March 22, 2026
Garand found out he would make his long-awaited NHL debut with the New York Rangers four days before the fact.
That’s a lot of time to sit with the knowledge that a lifelong dream is within grasp.
“I’ve kind of been waiting to make my NHL debut my whole life,” Garand said postgame. “When you’re actually, you know, they tell you you’re actually going to play… It’s pretty cool. It’s kind of like, ‘Okay, this is it. Here we go’. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time, and I felt pretty ready for it.”
Indeed, Garand has parts of five professional seasons with the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack under his belt.
He’s earned a handful of call-up appearances to the big club, but didn’t get to take his place between the pipes until Sunday’s tilt against Winnipeg.
Garand steered aside 35 of 37 shots, while holding the Jets to one goal on four powerplay opportunities to earn a single point and force extra time.
Ultimately, Winnipeg prevailed 2-0 in the shootout, but the Rangers saw plenty to be excited about in Garand’s performance.
“I thought he was terrific,” Rangers Head Coach Mike Sullivan told reporters. “He looked really solid, calm demeanor in there. Tracking pucks well. Rebound control was great. He made some big saves for us. I thought he had a really strong game.”
As a bonus, the extended heads-up that he was starting also gave Garand and the Rangers time to bring in five of his closest family members and friends- including Kamloops Blazers goaltending coach Dan De Palma and his daughter.
Things you love to see 😍 @DylanGarand and Blazer goaltending Coach Dan De Palma outside Madison Square Gardens after an NHL debut. 👏 pic.twitter.com/U0vMUAoDdA
— Kamloops Blazers (@blazerhockey) March 22, 2026
Garand and De Palma grew close over the youngster’s five seasons in Kamloops.
In an interview with Blazers reporter Colton Davies, Garand said their families were like best friends.
“The feeling’s mutual,” De Palma said in August. “He’s honest, dedicated, trustworthy, all the qualities you want in a person. We’ve gone through ups and downs together, and those experiences just brought us closer. Dylan’s one of my closest friends.”
The 6-foot-1, 185-pound puckstopper made his way to Kamloops after being drafted with the 58th overall pick in the third round of the 2017 WHL Prospects Draft.
Garand’s breakout moment came in the 2019 WHL tiebreaker game, where he made 27 saves against the rival Kelowna Rockets to seal a 5-1 win and send the Blazers to the playoffs.
The following season, he suited up for the CHL Top Prospects Game, collected the Daryl K. ‘Doc’ Seaman Trophy for WHL Scholastic Player of the Year and capped it all off by hearing the Rangers call his name in the fourth round (103rd overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Garand’s finest campaign came in his senior year, where he went 34-9-1-0 with a 2.16 goals-against average, a .925 save percentage and four shutouts.
He was named WHL Goaltender of the Year and claimed a berth on the 2021-22 WHL B.C. Division First All-Star Team, graduating from the league with a 90-31-5-2 record, a 2.33 GAA, a .919 save percentage and 12 shutouts.
New York (28-33-9) is 5-4-1 in its last 10 outings.
The Rangers will play the second half of a back-to-back on Monday night as they host the Ottawa Senators (36-24-9) at 5:30 p.m. MST.
