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Connor Hellebuyck Wins His First William M. Jennings Trophy

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Spencer Lazary | Last updated 4/19/24

The NHL regular season is officially over, and with that, some of the season awards have been announced. The William M. Jennings Trophy is awarded to “the goaltender having played a minimum of 25 games for the team with the fewest goals scored against it, based on regular-season play.” In the past, we have seen some big names win this trophy, like Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy, and Ed Belfour, and now Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck’s name is added to that long list of NHL greats.

Hellebuyck has had an outstanding NHL career even though he was drafted in the fifth round of the 2012 Draft. But that didn’t matter to him; he battled hard and is now considered to be one of, if not the best, NHL goalies in the league. This season, he had a 37-19-4 record with a 2.39 goals-against average (GAA) and a .921 save percentage (SV%). In his career, he has a record of 275-173-41, with a 2.69 GAA and a .917 SV%.

The Jets are set to face the Colorado Avalanche in the first round of the playoffs, and on paper, it could seem like Winnipeg are the underdogs regardless of the standings. However, they have Hellebuyck between the pipes, which could be the difference-maker for the Jets. He can steal the series and shut down the Avalanche’s top players.

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This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

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