The Hellebuyck Stops Here

Jets goalie talks about memorabilia cards and his team’s future.

- Stephen Laroche

As the 2016-17 season approaches its half-way point, the Winnipeg Jets are in the thick of competing for a playoff spot and part of the team’s moderate success has to be credited to the play of sophomore goaltender Connor Hellebuyck.

With the club deciding to send veteran Ondrej Pavelec to the AHL, the Jets have a strong young tandem in Michael Hutchison and the UMass Lowell product that could remain together for years to come.

At the end of his collegiate career, Hellebuyck was named the first winner of the Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s top goaltender and made a smooth transition to the pro ranks with the St. John’s IceCaps, playing in the 2015 AHL All-Star Game. Finally called up to the NHL level in late- November, 2015, he managed a 13-11-1 record as a rookie and earned a pair of shutouts that included one against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

This year, he played in 30 games over the first half and earned a victory in half of them. The team does not rank among the best defensive records in the league, but he did blank the opposition twice during the month of November and put together a four-game winning streak.