2024 WHL Championship Game 3 Player to Watch: Jan Spunar, Portland Winterhawks

Moose Jaw, Sask.- The Portland Winterhawks are rolling into Moose Jaw with a tough task ahead as they trail the Warriors 2-0 in the 2024 WHL Championship Series, but WHL Goaltender of the Year nominee Jan Spunar isn’t stressed.

This is the stuff he lives for.

“I like that,” the Czech import said of high-pressure playoff games. “I’m not big stress guy, nervous guy. Never nervous.”

Indeed, Spunar has stepped up as one of the Winterhawks’ best contributors through the 2024 WHL Playoffs.

The 19-year-old sports a 12-4-0-0 record through the postseason with a 2.52 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and one shutout.

Perhaps his best showing came in a 48-save double-overtime victory over the Prince George Cougars to clinch the Western Conference Championship in Game 6.

“For sure my longest game I ever played,” Spunar recalled. “Both me and the other goalie, we both played really well. It was pretty fun battle and I enjoyed it so much. Super tired after I gave it. Actually. It was great battle.”

After turning aside 31 of 33 shots in a narrow 3-2 loss to the Warriors in Game 1 of the final series, a 5-1 loss in the second match feels like an aberration for a Winterhawks squad that feels like they have more to give.

Spunar was still a bright spot for Portland in both outings and showed off his hockey sense and awareness with a breakout pass that directly led to Diego Buttazzoni’s goal late in the second period of Game 1.

“Jan’s had a great postseason, but he’s had a really good year overall,” Winterhawks General Manager and Head Coach Mike Johnston said. “Certainly, it was disrupted by the injury. He was out for almost nine weeks. When he came back from the injury, I thought it took them a couple of weeks to get back in sync, but he’s been bang on in the playoffs and he can make the big save to keep you in the game.”

Spunar missed more than two months of regular-season action after undergoing foot surgery.

Prior to being sidelined, he was ranked 21st among North American Goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting in its midseason NHL Draft rankings.

Still, the 6-foot-3, 199-pound netminder would appear in a career-high 35 regular-season games, finishing as a leader among all qualified goaltenders with a 2.12 goals-against average (second), a .913 save percentage (T-3rd) and a pair of shutouts.

But the Olomouc, Cze. product says he’s put it behind him as he hunts for his first win in the WHL Championship.

“It was pretty tough for me when I get the injury,” Spunar admitted. “But everybody helped me- my teammates, coaches and doctors.

It’s first time I ever been that far in my life, so I’m very excited for this series still. Hopefully, we can turn around that series and win.”

Spunar and the Winterhawks will look to silence the crowd at the Hangar when puck drops on Game 3 on Tuesday, May 14 at 8:00 p.m. ST.