A former Frozen Four participant at UMass-Lowell, Hellbucyk did not come to the pro ranks with high expectations upon him. Turning pro in 2014, Hellbucyk cut his teeth in the American Hockey League before he was called up to replace an injured Ondrej Pavelec. He did well, and he was named the Jets’ first-string Goalie in 2016.
Hellbuyck broke out in 2017-18 with a 44-Win season, setting a record for American Goalies. He finished first in Goalie Point shares (14.0) and was the runner-up for the Vezina behind Nashville’s Pekka Rinne. After an exhausting 2018-19 where he was bombarded with a league-leading 2,051 Shots, he was a beast again in 2019-20 winning the Vezina with a 2.57 GAA. His Vezina win was the first by any Jet, and although it is his only to date, he has finished in the top four three in balloting three other times. Hellebucyk has also been an ironman in bewteen the pipes, having led the NHL in Minutes Played twice, Games Plaued four times, and had a four-year streak of recording the most Saves (2018-19 to 2021-22)
Hellbuyck could be on target to claim the top spot on this list soon.
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