Nobody comes out of nowhere to have an NHL career, especially one that includes winning a major trophy, but Hellebuyck was close.
After playing with Odessa of the North American Hockey League for the 2011-12 season, the Commerce Township, Michigan, native did not even crack NHL Central Scouting's list of the top 36 North American goalies eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft (he was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round, No. 130). But four years later, after Hellebuyck made 26 starts as a rookie for the Jets in 2015-16, he was so well regarded that he was named to Team North America for the World Cup of Hockey 2016.
Nobody comes out of nowhere to have an NHL career, especially one that includes winning a major trophy, but Hellebuyck was close.
After playing with Odessa of the North American Hockey League for the 2011-12 season, the Commerce Township, Michigan, native did not even crack NHL Central Scouting's list of the top 36 North American goalies eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft (he was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round, No. 130). But four years later, after Hellebuyck made 26 starts as a rookie for the Jets in 2015-16, he was so well regarded that he was named to Team North America for the World Cup of Hockey 2016.
A crease-clogging presence at 6-foot-4 the self-described "big and boring" Hellebuyck plays a steady game based on seeing the puck, limiting his movement and trying to be in the right position. The approach worked wonders for Hellebuyck when Winnipeg called him up from the American Hockey League following an injury to Ondrej Pavelec.
Hellebuyck won his NHL debut on Nov. 27, 2015, against the Minnesota Wild, the first of three straight wins (he allowed one goal in each game). He got his first NHL shutout on Dec. 27, 2015, making 30 saves against the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite leading Jets goalies with a .918 save percentage and 2.34 goals-against average, Hellebuyck was sent back to the AHL in February when Pavelec was again healthy.
Even so, Hellebuyck finished the season tied for the team lead with 13 wins. Among rookie goalies who played in at least 10 games in 2015-16, Hellebuyck was fourth with a 2.34 GAA, tied for fifth with a .918 save percentage and tied for second with two shutouts.
Hellebuyck had a breakout season in 2018-19 tying for the NHL lead with 44 wins and helping the Jets advance to the Western Conference Final. He was named an NHL Second-Team All-Star and earned his first trip to the NHL All-Star Game. His second came in 2020, when he was also voted winner of the Vezina Trophy as the League's best goalie.
In 2022-23, Hellebuyck went 37-25-2 with a 2.49 GAA, .920 save percentage and four shutouts in 64 games. He faced the third-most shots (1,964) and made the second-most saves (1,807), had six games with at least 40 saves (5-0-1) and was a Vezina finalist for the third time.
Before joining the Jets, Hellebuyck had two superb seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell, allowing 84 goals in 53 games while helping his team win consecutive Hockey East championships. He won the inaugural Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in NCAA Division I in 2014.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- NAHL Rookie of the Year (2012)
- NAHL Goaltender of the Year (2012)
- Hockey East All-Rookie Team (2013)
- Hockey East Second All-Star Team (2013)
- Hockey East First All-Star Team (2014)
- NCAA East First All-American Team (2014)
- Played in NHL All-Star Game (2018, 2020, 2023)
- NHL Second All-Star Team (2018)
- NHL First All-Star Team (2020)
