Eight WHL goaltenders have been invited to Hockey Canada’s Program of Excellence Goaltending Camp in preparation for the 2019-20 season with a four-day goaltending camp at the Markin MacPhail Centre at WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.
The camp brings together the top goaltending talent and elite-level instructors from across the country. They serve as the initial evaluation stage for summer development and selections camps for Canada’s national teams.
The Program of Excellence goaltending camp, set for June 5-8, will welcome 26 male goaltenders, including 10 at the under-20 level, four at the under-18 level and 12 in the under-17 category. Of those groupings, four WHL goaltenders have been invited to participate at the under-20 level, one at the under-18 level, and three at the under-17 level.
Leading the way at the under-20 level are WHL goaltenders Roman Basran (Abbotsford, B.C. / Kelowna Rockets), Taylor Gauthier (Calgary, Alta. / Prince George Cougars), Nolan Maier (Yorkton, Sask. / Saskatoon Blades), and Trent Miner (Brandon, Man. / Vancouver Giants). The quartet of goaltenders are on the radar of the National Hockey League’s Central Scouting service ahead of the 2019 NHL Draft later this month in Vancouver, B.C. In April’s final rankings, Miner was the top-ranked goaltender of the four invited, coming in at sixth among North American goaltenders. Gauthier is ranked seventh, Basran is 18th, and Maier is 22nd.
At the under-18 level, Dylan Garand (Victoria, B.C. / Kamloops Blazers) earned an invitation. Garand was part of the driving force behind the Blazers securing a playoff spot in the final 10 days of the 2018-19 WHL Regular Season, posting a 5-0-1-0 record, 1.63 goals-against average, a .939 save percentage, and one shutout down the stretch. Garand then won the ensuing tiebreaker game on March 19, 2019 against the Rockets, stopping 27 of 28 shots.
Invited to participate in the camp at the under-17 level were a trio of WHL goaltenders in Tyler Brennan (Winnipeg, Man. / Prince George Cougars), Thomas Milic (Coquitlam, B.C. / Seattle Thunderbirds), and Drew Sim (Tees, Alta. / Vancouver Giants). All three goaltenders were selected in the 2018 WHL Bantam Draft and represented their respective provinces at the 2019 Canada Winter Games in Red Deer, Alta.
Level | Name | Hometown | WHL Team |
U20 | Roman Basran | Abbotsford, B.C. | Kelowna Rockets |
U20 | Taylor Gauthier | Calgary, Alta. | Prince George Cougars |
U20 | Nolan Maier | Yorkton, Sask. | Saskatoon Blades |
U20 | Trent Miner | Brandon, Man. | Vancouver Giants |
U18 | Dylan Garand | Victoria, B.C. | Kamloops Blazers |
U17 | Tyler Brennan | Winnipeg, Man. | Prince George Cougars |
U17 | Thomas Milic | Coquitlam, B.C. | Seattle Thunderbirds |
U17 | Drew Sim | Tees, Alta. | Vancouver Giants |