Connor Hellebuyck

Connor Charles Hellebuyck ( HEL-ə-buk; born May 19, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL).

After playing one season in the North American Hockey League with the Odessa Jackalopes, Hellebuyck was selected by the Jets in the fifth round, 130th overall, of the 2012 NHL entry draft. He spent two years with the UMass Lowell River Hawks, where he received the inaugural Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in college hockey. Hellebuyck started his professional career during 2014–15 season with the Jets' American Hockey League affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps.

Hellebuyck began as a starter with the Jets during the 2016–17 season, where he quickly amassed success. Considered one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, Hellebuyck is a Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the league's most valuable player, three-time Vezina Trophy winner as the best goaltender in the league, and two-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner for allowing the fewest goals against.

Internationally, Hellebuyck represents the United States. At the 2026 Winter Olympics, he was their starting goaltender, helping them win Olympic gold for the first time since 1980.

Early life

Hellebuyck was born on May 19, 1993, in Commerce Township, Michigan, to parents Chuck and Erin. His father is a technical training engineer and former stock car racing driver, while his mother is an artist and children's books author. Hellebuyck is the middle of three siblings; his older brother Chris also played hockey before retiring in 2016–17.

Playing career

Amateur

After completing his high school career at Walled Lake Northern High School in Commerce Township, Michigan, Hellebuyck played one year of junior hockey as a member of the Odessa Jackalopes, a franchise that had been a minor league affiliate of the New York Islanders but had recently moved to junior hockey as part of the North American Hockey League (NAHL). Hellebuyck went from being virtually unknown to a top prospect while playing in Odessa and was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets following his season in Odessa.

Hellebuyck earned a scholarship to play for the UMass Lowell River Hawks in the NCAA Men's Division I Hockey East Conference, where in two seasons he played 54 games and compiled a 38–12–2 record with a .946 save percentage, 1.60 goals against average and 12 shutouts. He won the Hockey East Championship and made a Frozen Four appearance in his freshman year. Lowell would repeat as Hockey East Champions the following year and Hellebuyck became the only player in Hockey East history to be named tournament MVP twice. Following his second year, Hellebuyck's outstanding play was rewarded with a selection to the 2013–14 All-Hockey East First Team.

For the 2013–14 season, Hellebuyck was awarded the inaugural Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in college hockey. Hellebuyck departed UMass Lowell as the school's shutout leader with 12 shutouts in 54 games, surpassing former National Hockey League and former UMass Lowell goaltender Carter Hutton. He also owns single-season records for best save percentage (.952) and GAA (1.37), both in 2012–13.

Professional

Hellebuyck chose to forgo his final two years of college eligibility by signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets on April 5, 2014. He was immediately assigned to the St. John's IceCaps, the Jets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for the remainder of the season but did not play a game. When speaking of his decision, Hellebuyck said: "After two great years, I had to look at my career as a whole and think about my next step. After talking to both teams, it was a very difficult decision but I thought my play was ready for the next level." After being cut from the Winnipeg Jets' training camp, Hellebuyck spent the entirety of the 2014–15 season with the IceCaps. Hellebuyck started the season sharing the net with Peter Budaj but quickly became the IceCaps starter by mid-November. Through his first six starts, Hellebuyck earned his first professional shutout, had a .955 save percentage, and tied for eighth in the league in goals against average (GAA). He was recognized as the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending on November 23. During the week, Hellebuyck won all four of his starts while recording two shutouts. Although the IceCaps continued to struggle, with an Eastern Conference-worst goals against record, Hellebuyck tied for fourth among all goalies in wins, and third among league rookies in save percentage. He was subsequently selected for the 2015 AHL All-Star Game. When asked about Hellebuyck's start, IceCaps’ head coach Keith McCambridge said: "I'm not one to use the word ‘surprise’ haphazardly, but yeah, I have been surprised." Hellebuyck recorded his fourth shutout of the season on February 7, 2015, against the Portland Pirates, and his fifth the following night against the Hartford Wolf Pack. On April 10, Hellebuyck was called up by the Jets to dress as the backup goaltender for one game. Hellebuyck finished his rookie season with a 28–22–5 record, 2.58 GAA, and 0.921 save percentage.

Following the 2014–15 season, the IceCaps moved to Winnipeg for the 2015–16 season and were renamed to the Manitoba Moose. After appearing in two pre-season games with the Winnipeg Jets, Hellebuyck was reassigned to the Moose. He began the season in the starting role with Eric Comrie as his backup. Hellebuyck started in eight of the team's first eleven games while posting a 2.12 average and a .939 save percentage. On November 22, 2015, the Jets called up Hellebuyck after Ondřej Pavelec was injured during a game against the Arizona Coyotes. He made his NHL debut on November 27, against the Minnesota Wild, and stopped 15 shots on net in the 3–1 win. Hellebuyck also won his second NHL game on December 2, against the Toronto Maple Leafs with 32 saves in the 6-1 win. Later that month, on December 27, Hellebuyck recorded his first NHL shutout in a 1–0 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. This was the Jets' first shutout of the season and ended their two-game losing streak. Despite remaining in the NHL, Hellebuyck was selected to represent the Manitoba Moose at the 2016 AHL All-Star Game. Hellebuyck returned to the AHL in January once Pavelec recovered from his injury. He finished his first stint in the NHL with a 13–11–0 record, 2.34 goals-against, and a .918 save percentage.

Becoming the starter (2016–2019)

Hellebuyck attended the Winnipeg Jets training camp ahead of the 2016–17 season and made the team's opening night roster alongside Michael Hutchinson. Prior to opening night, he was granted permission from Dan Snyder's family to wear the jersey #37 in his honor. The number had not been worn by anyone in the Thrashers/Jets franchise since his death in 2003. Hellebuyck and Hutchinson shared the crease throughout the season, where both struggled to maintain consistency. By January, Hellebuyck had a 13-12-1 record through 26 games as the Jets were three points out of a playoff spot. Hellebuyck finished his rookie season with a 26–19–4 record through 56 games and a 2.89 goals-against average, .907 save percentage, and four shutouts. He also played the most games of any goaltender age 23 and younger in the NHL. On July 24, 2017, the Jets re-signed Hellebuyck to a one-year contract worth $2.25 million.

After making the opening night roster after the Jets' 2017–18 development camp, Hellebuyck played the majority of the season alongside Steve Mason. After Mason had a poor few games and suffered from a string of injuries, Hellebuyck became the de facto starter for the Jets for the remainder of the season. Hellebuyck excelled in his role as starter, recording 23 wins through 35 games including three shut outs, a .923 save percentage, and 2.36 GAA. Hellebuyck was also recognized as an NHL Star of the Week twice. The first time came on December 31 after he recorded a perfect 3-0-0 record, with a 1.67 goals-against average, .952 save percentage and one shutout over three games. His second Star of the Week honor came on January 22 after he stopped 59 of 60 shots against over two games. He was subsequently named to the 2017 NHL All-Star Game for the first time alongside teammate Blake Wheeler. On March 8, Hellebuyck set a franchise record for most wins in a season by a goaltender after making 41 saves to clinch his 35th win. Hellebuyck finished the season with a 44–11–9 record in 67 games, setting the record for the most single-season wins by an American goaltender in the NHL, previously held by Tom Barrasso of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He also tied with Wayne Stephenson for the record of most home wins by a goaltender in a single season with 30. Hellebuyck also set a franchise record with nine shutouts, a .924 save percentage, and nine straight wins to end the regular season. As a result of his successful play, Hellebuyck was named a Vezina Trophy runner-up as the league's top goaltender behind Pekka Rinne.