Americans forward Garland named WHL Rookie of the Week
Calgary, Alta. – Tri-City Americans forward Gavin Garland has been named WHL Rookie of the Week for the week ending November 3, 2024, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.
This marks the second time the Ams standout has earned the honour this season.
Garland led all WHL rookies with two goals and three assists for five points and a +3 rating in three games to help Tri-City extend its league-best winning streak to nine games and its point streak to 10.
After having a six-game point streak snapped, Garland got back on the scoresheet against the visiting Edmonton Oil Kings on October 28. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound centreman netted his seventh goal of the season by winning a faceoff back to Utah Hockey Club prospect Terrell Goldsmith and tipping the towering defender’s shot past the Oil Kings netminder. Tri-City would go on to a 6-5 overtime victory.
Tri-City would come up big again in a 4-2 win over the Spokane Chiefs in front of more than 4,500 fans in Kennewick. Shortly after the Ams opened the scoring midway through the first period, top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Jackson Smith fired a puck on net for Garland to deflect for a 2-0 lead. The Calgary, Alta. product struck again less than 30 seconds into the final period when he picked off a Chiefs pass to send Carter MacAdams and Brandon Whynott in for a two-on-one opportunity and Whynott’s eventual game-winning goal.
Whynott and Garland linked up once more in Tri-City’s biggest victory of the week- a 6-5 overtime win against the U.S. Division-leading Everett Silvertips the following night. With Everett leading 2-1 in the second period, Garland grabbed a rebound on the penalty kill and flew up the ice to create a two-on-one opportunity, feeding Whynott for the shorthanded game-tying goal. On the same penalty kill, Garland fired the puck down the ice for Jake Gudelj to jam the puck past the Silvertips goalie just as the penalty expired, giving Tri-City its first lead of the night. The 6-5 win marks a second-straight multi-point game for the 18-year-old.
Tri-City is now 9-0-1-0 in its last 10 games to sit second in the U.S. Division and third in the Western Conference.
Garland currently has eight goals and 10 assists for 18 points and a +10 rating through 14 games. He leads all rookies in goals and points and is tied for first in points on the Americans.
Drafted by the Americans 31st overall in the second round of the 2021 WHL Prospects Draft, Garland joins the team after spending 2023-24 with the Alberta Junior Hockey League’s Calgary Canucks, where he helped the team claim its first championship in more than two decades.
He also won the 2023 World Junior A Challenge as a member of Team Canada West and made the AJHL’s First All-Rookie Team.
Tri-City (10-3-1-0) will hunt for a tenth-straight win against the league-leading Everett Silvertips (13-2-1-0) on Friday, November 8.
2024-25 WHL Rookie of the Week
September 23, 2024: Keaton Verhoeff, Victoria Royals
September 30, 2024: Landon DuPont, Everett Silvertips
October 7, 2024: Cooper Williams, Saskatoon Blades
October 15, 2024: Josh Banini, Moose Jaw Warriors
October 21, 2024: Gavin Garland, Tri-City Americans
October 28, 2024: Jaxon Jacobson, Brandon Wheat Kings
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