Devils Acquire Hellebuyck, Lehti Stops 51 for Minnesota State’s First NCAA Win
Plus: Justin Bourne on why save percentages keep falling as goalies get better, James Reimer's first AHL shutout since 2011, the Canadiens remove the interim tag from goaltending coach Marco Marciano, Avah Sedore blanks No. 12 Cornell, Antoine Keller shuts out Genève-Servette again, and to close, Patrick Roy passes Terry Sawchuk for most games, 24 years ago today
In this edition 12 stories
NHL
College
International
Birthdays
New on InGoal
Goalies in this edition 31 goalies
Every goalie named in this edition, from the NHL to junior and college.
NHL: Connor Hellebuyck (New Jersey Devils), Nico Daws (Winnipeg Jets), Jake Allen (New Jersey Devils), Mitch Gibson (Washington Capitals), Patrick Roy (Colorado Avalanche), Jacques Plante (New York Rangers), Mike Richter (New York Rangers), Matt Tomkins (Edmonton Oilers)
AHL: Garin Bjorklund (Hershey Bears), James Reimer (Hartford Wolf Pack)
ECHL: Ryan Kenny (South Carolina Stingrays), Jonathan Quick (Reading Royals)
College: Lassi Lehti (Minnesota State), Avah Sedore (Boston College), Eva Filippova (Lindenwood), Lukas Swedin (Bentley), Jack Parsons (Providence)
International: Antoine Keller (HC Ajoie), Davide Fadani (EHC Kloten), Hugo Alnefelt (HIFK), Marek Čiliak (HC Kometa Brno)
Junior: Jacoby Weiner (Moncton Wildcats), Anthony Sciere (Omaha Lancers), Matthew Humphries (Oshawa Generals)
+7 more, including Eddie Giacomin and Mike Smith
NHLDevils acquire Connor Hellebuyck from the Jets
The Devils acquired Connor Hellebuyck from Winnipeg on Friday. Going to the Jets: goalie Nico Daws, forwards Dawson Mercer and Nick Bjugstad (out after pectoral surgery), the rights to Alexander Command, the 18-year-old centre New Jersey drafted in the first round in June, a 2029 second-round pick, and a 2027 seventh. Hellebuyck, 33, brings three Vezina Trophies, a Hart Trophy, and the Olympic gold he won in February, when he led every goalie in the tournament in both goals-against average (1.18) and save percentage (.956); he now shares a dressing room with Jack Hughes, whose overtime goal won that final in front of him. All 625 of his regular-season games were played for Winnipeg, 345 of them wins with 45 shutouts, and five seasons remain on his contract at $8.5 million a year (Devils release). Since his debut in 2015-16, only Andrei Vasilevskiy has won more NHL games, and his 47 wins in 2024-25 are tied with Bernie Parent and Roberto Luongo for the second-most in a season, behind the 48 of Martin Brodeur and Braden Holtby (NHL.com stats).
Hellebuyck’s last game was April 13, and he has not played or practised in the NHL since (NewJerseyDevils.com). He asked for a trade over the summer, confirmed it publicly on Aug. 27, and did not report to camp, so the Jets suspended him without pay on Sept. 16 (NHL.com). Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported last Saturday that Hellebuyck told Winnipeg before its Oct. 2 opener that he was ready to report, and that the team then held him out under a CBA clause allowing a disciplinary suspension of “reasonable length” for a player who misses camp. That suspension ended Friday, and after it the Jets would have been paying him whether he played or not (Sportsnet). Friedman was also first with the deal itself, reporting at 11:05 a.m. ET Friday that the two teams were working on it (Elliotte Friedman on X). Our Oct. 22 edition carried his report of Carolina’s revised offer; this is the deal that got done.
His first game for New Jersey has not been set. The Devils introduce him at a press conference at 11:45 a.m. ET Saturday (NewJerseyDevils.com), and New Jersey Hockey Now expects Jake Allen, 36, in net against Los Angeles that night (New Jersey Hockey Now). Allen, whose 500th NHL game we marked in our Oct. 21 edition, will share the crease with Hellebuyck. The Devils’ first visit to Winnipeg is Nov. 10.
Daws, 25, was a Devils third-round pick in 2020 and has 26 wins in 59 NHL games; he and Mercer won world junior gold together for Canada in 2020 (Jets release). Winnipeg will carry three goalies for now: Daws, Stuart Skinner, who signed with the Jets on July 1 and is 3-1-3 with a .912 save percentage, and Clay Stevenson, claimed off waivers from Washington on Sept. 28. General manager Kevin Cheveldayoff called three goalies “something that we haven’t necessarily employed over the past” (NHL.com). All three would need to clear waivers to go to the AHL (Sportsnet). Cheveldayoff said the Rangers losing Igor Shesterkin was what got the league’s goalie conversations moving, that “a goalie market is a little bit of a different market,” and that he was “very comfortable with what we accomplished here over the period of time” (WinnipegJets.com).
On InGoal: Connor Hellebuyck’s Pro Reads, The Unique Brilliance of Connor Hellebuyck, Connor Hellebuyck’s Path (Parents, Ep. 342), InGoal Radio Episode 141 with Nico Daws, and InGoal Radio Episode 271 with Clay Stevenson.
NHLWhy save percentages keep falling as goalies get better
The NHL’s average save percentage has fallen every season for a decade, from .915 in 2015-16 to .900 two seasons ago and .896 last season, the first time below .900 since 1996. Through more than 150 games this season it sits at .892. Justin Bourne of Sportsnet argues the goalies aren’t the problem: “nobody’s getting less talented,” he writes, and he lays out why the number keeps dropping anyway (Sportsnet).
- Shooters caught up. Modern goaltending is built on being big and taking away the middle of the net, which leaves only a perfect shot to a corner. Players who grew up with light, whippy one-piece sticks can now hit those spots, and they know where the goalie will be.
- Shots are counted more strictly. With money bet on shots and saves, off-ice officials check video, and attempts that were blocked, rang off the post or were going wide now come off the board. Fewer soft shots means fewer easy saves in the total.
- The easy shots are disappearing. Teams keep the puck rather than shooting from distance, and wait for a pass across the middle. Citing Steve Valiquette and his company Clear Sight Analytics, Bourne notes that low-danger shots used to help a goalie find his rhythm. Goalies are facing 27.1 shots a game this season, the lowest average Bourne could find in NHL records, and his summary of the new approach is “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes.”
- More traffic. Teams screen deliberately, and today’s lighter, more offensive defencemen clear the crease less, so goalies see more rebounds and scrambles.
InGoal’s own count of every regular-season NHL shot on goal in the league’s play-by-play data backs him up, and shows which shots went away. Each team averaged 31.5 shots a game in 2021-22, then 31.1, 30.1, 28.1 and 27.6, and 27.1 through this season’s first 167 games. More than half of that drop is shots from 40 feet or farther, down from 11.5 a game to 9.2, while shots from inside 20 feet have barely moved (9.5 to 8.8). The long ones were the easy saves: goalies stopped about 97 per cent of them in 2021-22 and still do. Closer in, save percentage has slipped from .903 to .886 on shots from 20 to 40 feet, and from .833 to .818 inside 20 feet.
His advice is to look at measures like goals saved above expected, which account for the chances a goalie faces, and not to panic over a number that would have looked poor a generation ago: “as of today, .895 is actually above league average.”
On InGoal: The Real Reason NHL Save Percentage is Down and InGoal Radio Episode 323 with Steve Valiquette.
NHLCapitals call up Mitch Gibson
Washington brought Mitch Gibson up from Hershey on Friday, and the Bears filled his spot by recalling Garin Bjorklund from the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. Gibson, 27, is from Phoenixville, Pa. He began last season on an AHL contract with Hershey, earned a two-year NHL deal with Washington, and got his first AHL shutout on Dec. 13, 2025, when he made 36 saves against Charlotte (Hershey Bears). To replace Bjorklund, the Stingrays signed Ryan Kenny, 27, who led the SPHL in save percentage as a rookie in 2023-24 (South Carolina Stingrays).
NHLOilers put Devon Levi on injured reserve, recall Matt Tomkins
Devon Levi has been in net for most of Edmonton’s strong start, winning six of his first seven games, the latest a 27-save, 6-5 shootout win over Carolina on Thursday. The 24-year-old missed practice on Friday and the Oilers moved him to injured reserve without saying what the injury is. Matt Tomkins, 32, was recalled from the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors on an emergency basis. He played six NHL games for Tampa Bay in 2023-24 and has a .909 save percentage through three games with Bakersfield this season (Sportsnet).
On InGoal: Devon Levi’s Pro Reads and InGoal Radio Episode 337 with Matt Tomkins and Connor Ungar.
AHLJames Reimer, 38, gets his first AHL shutout since 2011
At 38, James Reimer is still adding shutouts. In his first game for Hartford, he turned away all 35 Providence shots in a 2-0 win that ended the Wolf Pack’s five-game losing streak. The Bruins had the better of the first period, outshooting Hartford 14-4, and nobody scored until Liam Greentree’s power-play goal 57 seconds into the third (Hartford Wolf Pack). His previous AHL shutout came on Jan. 22, 2011, in what turned out to be his final game for the Toronto Marlies before his NHL career took off, as Chris Peters noted (Chris Peters on X).
Hartford, the New York Rangers’ AHL affiliate, signed him to a professional tryout on Oct. 15. Reimer has played 539 NHL games for eight teams, winning 232 with 32 shutouts, and went 7-4-2 for Ottawa last season (Hartford Wolf Pack).
On InGoal: InGoal Radio Episode 267 with James Reimer and Pro Drills with James Reimer and Thomas Speer.
CoachesCanadiens remove interim tag from goaltending coach Marco Marciano
It’s official in Montreal: the Canadiens’ hockey operations page now lists Marco Marciano as their goalie coach, with no interim label. He has run the NHL crease since the team promoted him in January, and Andrew Zadarnowski spotted the change on Friday (Canadiens). Before the promotion, Marciano held the same job with the AHL’s Laval Rocket (The Associated Press).
On InGoal: Pro Drills: Jonathan Bernier and Marco Marciano, Keys to Efficient Movement.
CollegeLehti's career-high 51 saves give Minnesota State its first win, Sedore blanks No. 12 Cornell
Lassi Lehti faced 52 shots at St. Thomas on Friday and stopped 51 of them, and Minnesota State won 3-1 for its first win in five games this season. The Tommies outshot the Mavericks 52-21, with 20 shots in the first period and 21 in the third. Lehti, a graduate transfer who played for Alaska Fairbanks last season, beat his previous career high by 11 saves, and no Maverick goalie had made more in a game since Austin Lee stopped 56 against Minnesota Duluth on March 10, 2012 (Minnesota State).
In the women’s game, Boston College’s Avah Sedore turned aside all 39 Cornell shots, 20 of them in the second period, as the Eagles beat the 12th-ranked Big Red 2-0 at Kelley Rink. Sarah Powers broke the scoreless tie at 10:44 of the third (Cornell).
Around the NCAA
- Lindenwood senior Eva Filippova faced 73 shots at second-ranked Minnesota and stopped a career-high 68, 28 of them in the third period, in a 5-2 loss (Lindenwood).
- Bentley sophomore Lukas Swedin stopped all 30 Robert Morris shots in a 5-0 win, his second shutout this season and the fourth of his career (Bentley).
- Jack Parsons made 30 saves for Providence in a 3-0 win at UMass Lowell (College Hockey News).
InternationalAntoine Keller shuts out Genève-Servette again
Genève-Servette can’t seem to beat Antoine Keller. He stopped all 39 shots on Friday as HC Ajoie, the club from Porrentruy in the Jura, beat Servette 5-0 in Switzerland’s National League (RTS). His first start in Ajoie’s net, in November 2025, was also a shutout of Servette, 2-0 (20 minutes).
Around Europe
- Davide Fadani made 43 saves on 45 shots as EHC Kloten won 5-2 at HC Lugano in the National League.
- Hugo Alnefelt, a Tampa Bay Lightning third-round pick in 2019 who played one NHL game for the Lightning and three seasons with their AHL team in Syracuse, stopped all 29 shots for HIFK in a 3-0 win at K-Espoo in Finland’s Liiga. After a goalie interference call, this one got a bit personal.
Save totals in this section come from the National League and Liiga game statistics.
JuniorMoncton's Jacoby Weiner, 18, makes 49 saves in a one-goal win
Moncton’s Jacoby Weiner, 18, made 49 saves, 19 of them in the second period, as the Wildcats won 3-2 in Sherbrooke on Friday, and he was named the game’s first star (QMJHL game report).
Notable performances in the USHL and OHL
- USHL: Anthony Sciere, 19, stopped all 43 shots and was the first star as the Omaha Lancers won 6-0 in Sioux Falls.
- OHL: Matthew Humphries, 18, made 30 saves in the Oshawa Generals’ 5-0 win over Peterborough and was the second star.
HistoryPatrick Roy passes Terry Sawchuk for most games, 24 years ago today
On this day in 2002, Patrick Roy played his 972nd regular-season NHL game and moved past Terry Sawchuk, whose 971 had been the most by any goalie. Roy made 27 saves as Colorado won 3-2 in Phoenix, as Dan Mount of Last Word on Sports recalled, and the NHL’s game page has the details. Three months later, on Jan. 20, 2003, in Denver, he became the first goalie to play 1,000 games. He retired with 1,029, a total only Martin Brodeur, with 1,266, has passed, according to NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs.
Also on Oct. 24
- 1963: Jacques Plante made 35 saves for the Rangers in a shutout in Boston, his 60th regular-season shutout, the ninth goalie to reach 60 by the NHL’s current totals.
- 1965: Eddie Giacomin played his first NHL game, making 26 saves for the Rangers against Montreal.
- 1993: Mike Richter started a 20-game unbeaten run for the Rangers (17-0-3) that lasted until Dec. 19.
- 2007: Jonathan Quick, then with the ECHL’s Reading Royals, was credited with a goal against Pensacola, according to the ECHL record book.
- 2014: Marek Čiliak was credited with a goal for HC Kometa Brno against PSG Zlín in the Czech Extraliga, after already being credited with one in Slovakia, according to Czech Television.
- 2017: Mike Smith earned his 200th NHL win, making 28 saves for Calgary in Nashville.
- 2024: Sergei Bobrovsky earned his 400th NHL win with 24 saves for Florida in New York, the 14th goalie to reach 400.
The NHL game details in this list come from the NHL’s game records at NHL Records.
On InGoal: Puckhandling Lessons from Mike Smith and Pro Tips: Sergei Bobrovsky on edge work in reverse VH.
BirthdaysLeblanc and Gustavsson
Happy birthday to former Chicago Blackhawks goalie Ray Leblanc (62) and former Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings goalie Jonas Gustavsson (42), known as the Monster.
Born on this day: Hall of Famer Bouse Hutton (1877) of the Ottawa Hockey Club.
New on InGoalCooper Black's 24-inch paddle
At 6-foot-9, Cooper Black is the tallest goalie in NHL history, yet his CCM stick is marked with a 24-inch paddle, and its lie and shape make it play longer than the label says. The takeaway for goalie parents: size the stick to the butterfly, get it fitted, and don’t buy an oversized paddle to grow into. Read: The Tallest Goalie in NHL History Uses a 24-Inch Paddle.
Have goalie news, a big save, a signing, or a coaching hire? Send it to news@ingoalmag.com.