I’m not a betting man, but I can guarantee you that Max Hildebrand doesn’t last until pick 286 in the 13th round if you redid the 2019 WHL Prospects Draft on Saturday.
The Prince Albert Raider overager has been the cream of the crop among WHL goaltenders this season ranking in the top 10 in all major statistical categories.
As of press time on Friday, Hildebrand sits tied for first in games played with 53, third in wins with 31, ninth in Goals Against Average at a 2.88 clip and second in save percentage at .918. Hildebrand also sits in a three-way tie for third place with three shutouts.
While Hildebrand has been impressive, the one thing that jumps off the page for me is the fact he has posted those numbers while seeing the most rubber of any netminder in the WHL.
In 53 appearances, Hildebrand has seen 1,791 shots on goal. If you pull out a calculator and punch in those numbers, that would tell you that Hildebrand is seeing an average of about 34 shots per game.
Now take in the fact that Hildebrand made only a single save in an early season appearance in relief of Cooper Anderson in Swift Current and that number trends closer to 35.
The next closest challenger to Hildebrand in terms of shot volume faced this season is Tri-City’s Lukas Matecha who has seen 1,627 shots in 48 games for the Americans.
For argument’s sake, let’s take a look at the resumes of some other goaltenders I feel will be the finalists for the league’s top netminder award at season’s end along with the volume of shots they have faced per game.
For those unfamiliar with the WHL’s award process, the league typically announces four finalists for each award with one from each of the league’s four divisions before votes are cast by members of the media.
The strongest challenger to Hildebrand in my opinion is Calgary’s Daniel Hauser who has been on an absolute tear since joining the Hitmen in a deadline deal with the Wenatchee Wild. He broke Nolan Maier’s record for the most career wins by a WHL netminder with his 123rd career victory over Red Deer earlier this week.
While Hauser absolutely deserves his flowers and recognition for an incredible individual career achievement, I don’t feel he should be the recipient of the Del Wilson Memorial Trophy at season’s end.
Hauser does have more flashy numbers then Hildebrand since arriving in Calgary with a 20-4-0-0 record, a 1.94 Goals Against Average and a .924 save percentage in 24 games with five shutouts. Since he joined the Hitmen, Hauser has seen 582 shots or just a tick over 24 shots per game.
Hauser suited up in 22 games for Wenatchee and posted an 8-9-2-1 record, a 3.29 Goals Against Average and a .901 save percentage in that time. He saw 659 shots or about 30 per game as a member of the Wild.
In the U.S. Division, Dawson Cowan has been a major contributor for the Spokane Chiefs. The 19-year-old leads the WHL in victories with 34, along with a 2.61 Goals Against Average and a .907 save percentage. In 50 games, Cowan has seen 1,389 shots on goal, just a tick under 28 per game.
Over on Vancouver Island, Prince Albert product Jayden Kraus has been quietly excellent for a Victoria Royals team making a push at a B.C. Division title. Kraus has made 45 appearances for the Royals posting a 25-8-3-5 record, a 2.83 Goals Against Average and a .908 save percentage. Kraus has faced 1,338 shots this season, approximately 30 per game.
While all of those goaltenders have had tremendous seasons and are major reasons for their clubs being competitive, none hold a candle to the volume of Hildebrand’s resume in games played and shots faced.
After making five first round selections in the past two years, it’s not a secret that the Prince Albert Raiders are a young team with plenty of bright years coming for them in the near future.
With Prince Albert dressing upwards of six rookie skaters some nights this season, there have been games where Hildebrand has had to be the best player on the ice and every time, he has answered the demand.
Hildebrand has made 30 or more saves in a game on 33 separate occasions this season. He’s made 40 or more saves seven times.
For those who don’t know Max Hildebrand in person, you won’t meet someone with a competitive fire that burns hotter. I recall doing an interview with his dad, Steve, who is the associate general manager of the Saskatoon Blades last season ahead of the first round playoff series between the two teams last season.
I made a joking remark to him that Max would hate to lose at tic-tac-toe. His response? I wasn’t that far off.
In terms of individual saves, Hildebrand has made a few that have made me pick my jaw up off the floor this season. I could list 15 or 20 tremendous saves he has made this season, but I’ll keep things to my personal top three which you can rank in any order you’d like.
The first came on October 4 against the Everett Silvertips at the Art Hauser Centre. While the WHL world was tuned in to watch the duel between Landon DuPont and Daxon Rudolph, it was Hildebrand who stole the spotlight.
With just under 12 minutes to go in the first period, Hildebrand was out of position afer making a toe save on Caden Brown. Silvertips rookie forward Nolan Chastko had a prime look at his first WHL goal. Hildebrand reached behind him and paddled the puck off the goal line to keep the game scoreless.
On Jan. 14, Hildebrand once again dazzled the Raider faithful at the Art Hauser Centre. With the Raiders holding onto a one goal lead early in the third period, Hildebrand made a game saver. After making the initial save off the rush, the puck would come to Portland Winterhawk captain Kyle Chyzowski at the left circle who made a no-look pass while being hassled by a Raider defender to Alex Weiermaier who was all alone at the right circle.
Hildebrand sprawled from his right to left making the glove save which preserved a 5-4 lead for the Raiders, which turned out to be the final score that night.
The most recent Hildebrand show stopper came on Mar. 12 in Lethbridge. With the Hurricanes on a 2-on-1 rush, Hildebrand would make a pad save on Cameron Norrie before sprawling to his left to make a glove save to rob Luke Cozens on the rebound.
“Max Hildebrand, you’ve got to be kidding me!” were the words that Hurricanes broadcaster Dustin Forbes used to describe the play to listeners on 106.7 ROCK in Lethbridge. Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction to that save as well.
Earlier this season after a 2-1 loss at home to the Medicine Hat Tigers, I asked former Raider head coach Jeff Truitt about Hildebrand’s play that night, which I find myself asking about more often then not. His response to me that night really stuck out.
“Max did everything he could for us.” Truitt said. “He faced 40 shots here, some quality opportunities and made a couple of spectacular saves laterally. We get spoiled by him because of the way that he plays, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He pushes himself to another level, and it’s great to see at a very important position.”
While other goaltenders have certainly had their moments throughout the season, the award is for the Goaltender of the Year, not Goaltender of the Month or Goaltender of the Second Half. In my humble and slightly biased opinion, Max Hildebrand has been the most consistent netminder throughout the campaign.
Everything in the WHL for Max Hildebrand has been earned, never given since the day he was drafted. He deserves to take home some league hardware at the end of his overage season before he heads south to take his talents to Bemidji State next fall.
Nathan Reiter is the sports reporter for the Prince Albert Daily Herald and covers the Prince Albert Raiders beat.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
