Binnington was 25 when the St. Louis Blues finally gave him a chance midway through 2018-19, and all he did was save their season.
He got his first NHL start on Jan. 7, 2019 and shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0. In his first 20 starts, Binnington went 16-3-1 with a 1.70 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and five shutouts. Not coincidentally, the Blues rose from last place in the NHL standings to a playoff spot in the Central Division. He was the NHL's Rookie of the Month in February 2019.
Binnington was 25 when the St. Louis Blues finally gave him a chance midway through 2018-19, and all he did was save their season.
He got his first NHL start on Jan. 7, 2019 and shut out the Philadelphia Flyers 3-0. In his first 20 starts, Binnington went 16-3-1 with a 1.70 goals-against average, a .933 save percentage and five shutouts. Not coincidentally, the Blues rose from last place in the NHL standings to a playoff spot in the Central Division. He was the NHL's Rookie of the Month in February 2019.
To say that Binnington, a third-round pick (No. 87) by the Blues in the 2011 NHL Draft, came out of nowhere might be an understatement. After finishing his junior career with Owen Sound of the Ontario Hockey League in 2013, Binnington spent the next four seasons in the minors, playing only one NHL game - a 13-minute relief appearance on Jan. 14, 2016.
It wasn't until December 2018 that he got another chance in the NHL, making two relief appearances before being returned to San Antonio of the American Hockey League. He was recalled on Jan. 5 and wasted no time taking the No. 1 job.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- OHL First All-Star Team (2013)
