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Rangers Prospect Dylan Garand Named CHL Goalie of the Year

As an avid New York Rangers fan, I think I may be starting to understand why some fans of other teams develop such envy. From Henrik Lundqvist to Igor Shesterkin, both late round gems and now possibly a new diamond in the rough is emerging in Dylan Garand.

Earlier today it was announced Dylan Garand was named the CHL goalie of the year and you know what, the kid deserves it.  Garand is the first Kamloops Blazer since 1992 to take home this award. His performance this season saw him sport 34 wins, 4 shutouts, a SV% of .925, and a GAA of 2.16. These stellar stats helped carry the Kamloops Blazers all year and into the conference final where they lost in game 7.

Having signed with the Rangers in December of last year, it is more than likely Garand will play with the Wolf Pack this upcoming season. The Rangers situation in net this summer will be an interesting one to watch, regarding the back up roster spot that is.

We can assume we’ve seen the last of Georgiev in a Rangers’ sweater, is it possible Garand plays his way into a back up role? Historically speaking goalies usually need a bit more time to develop and getting exposure to the AHL will only be a good thing for Garand so we can expect the front office to fill the position but Garand may get a look or two throughout the year and he has the skill level to make it a hard decision to bury him for development purposes.

On an even more exciting note, with the 2022 WJC resuming in August, Garand is still eligible with his 2002 birthdate. We were primed to see him get a bit more action in net this year, splitting it with another top prospect Sebastian Cossa. We’ll have to wait and see what roster they announce or if the schedule will conflict with the Rangers training camp, but one thing is for certain the New York Rangers have incredible luck drafting goaltenders and their future in the crease continues to shine brightly,

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