Dylan Garand Showcasing Why NHL Opportunity is Inevitable
The former fourth-round pick looks to be the latest Ranger goaltending prospect success story as he enters his fourth year as a pro.
If there's one area that's been a consistent positive for the New York Rangers in recent years, it's drafting and developing goaltenders. Going from Mike Richter to Henrik Lundqvist to Igor Shesterkin without much interruption is quite impressive. Adding in quality backups like Cam Talbot and Alexandar Georgiev only furthers this point.
The Blueshirts recently locked up Shesterkin, signing the megastar netminder to a record-breaking eight-year contract extension. However, extending Shesterkin hasn't prevented the Rangers from continuing to stockpile goaltending talent. Two hours up I-91 in Hartford, the Rangers have their next great goaltending prospect leading the Wolf Pack. Third-year pro Dylan Garand is off to a stellar start to the season, and his play proves that his NHL opportunity is coming soon.
Garand broke out in a big way during the 2019-20 season. Playing 42 games for the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, Garand posted a 28-10-3 record with a 2.21 goals against average and a .921 save percentage. The performance led to the Rangers drafting Garand 103rd overall in 2020, a class that saw them also select Alexis Lafrenière, Braden Schneider, Will Cuylle, Brett Berard, and Matt Rempe.
