January 6, 2025 by Bob Schmidt

Each month, I will be tabulating a goaltending power rankings chart and sharing the top 10 here on The Heavy Hockey Network. This chart comes to form based on calculations stemming from 25 statistical categories from five different sources. Minimum requirement of nine games played.

1. Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets

Season stats: 24-5-1, 2.00, .930, 5 shutouts

December stats: 9-2-1, 1.82, .933, 2 shutouts

December rank: 1

Key December performance: 33 saves on 35 shots in a 4-2 win vs. Ottawa Senators on Dec 28

Hellebuyck didn’t just remain at the top of the power rankings list, he dominated the month of December cumulating 209 out of a possible 250 points on the rating points scale, appearing in the top ten on 23 of the 25 categories used to tabulate this list, and was at the very top of 16 of those categories. The reigning Vezina Trophy winner finished the month off by winning his last six starts and helping Winnipeg accumulate 19 of a possible 20 points over his last ten starts.

2. Filip Gustavsson – Minnesota Wild

Season stats: 17-6-3, 2.28, .924, 2 shutouts

December stats: 5-2-0, 2.98, .909

December rank: 2

Key December performance: 43 saves on 46 shots in a 5-3 win vs. Nashville Predators on Dec 31

Gustavsson levelled off a bit this past month, but is still firmly entrenched in the number two spot on this list, appearing in the top 10 in 22 of the 25 statistical categories. The 26-year-old Swedish netminder is in the midst of an impressive bounce back season after a disappointing 2023-24 season and has been a key factor for the Wild who are enjoying a full team resurgence as well.

3. Logan Thompson – Washington Capitals

Season stats: 15-2-2, 2.30, .918

December stats: 5-1-1, 1.86, .931

December rank: 21

Key December performance: 35 saves on 37 shots in a 5-2 win vs. Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec 28

Washington has been one of the top teams in the NHL all season. The majority of the focus has been on the offence that the Capitals bring and understandably so when you have Alex Ovechkin, one of the greatest goal scorers in the history of the game, on your team. Meanwhile, the defensive core and the goaltending tandem of Thompson and Charlie Lindgren, have quietly solidified the back end to the tune of a 2.61 goals against average at the time of this article, which is the fifth-best in the league. The netminders have been sharing the crease in a 1A/1B rotation, but Thompson’s numbers best his counterpart in every category and would undoubtedly be the Washington starter if the playoffs began today.

4. Lukas Dostal – Anaheim Ducks

Season stats: 10-10-3, 2.72, .914, 1 shutout

December stats: 5-3-1, 2.72, .898

December rank: 4

Key December performance: 32 saves on 34 shots in a 3-2 win vs. New Jersey Devils on Dec 31

The Ducks are still a bottom tier NHL team as they are still in their rebuilding phase, but their goaltending is proving to be top tier level. The 24-year-old Dostal looks to be the goalie of the future for Anaheim and General Manager Pat Verbeek will undoubtedly make re-signing him a priority this summer to ensure that’s the case as the young netminder is in his last season of his current contract.

5. Karel Vejmelka – Utah Hockey Club

Season stats: 8-10-2, 2.40, .916

December stats: 5-4-1, 2.40, .915

December rank: 6

Key December performance: 28 saves on 29 shots in a 2-1 win vs. Minnesota Wild on Dec 20

Though Utah took a bit of a step backwards this past month with a season-worst five-game losing skid, the club has been trending upward overall. With the injury to last season’s starter, Connor Ingram, the 28-year-old Vejmelka has been shouldering the majority of the workload in the crease this season. The Czech native has taken full advantage of this responsibility and has kept his team competitive most nights. This is a contract year for Vejmelka and it will be interesting to see what’s in store for the upcoming UFA.

6. Anthony Stolarz – Toronto Maple Leafs

Season stats: 9-5-2, 2.15, .927, 1 shutout

December stats: 2-1-0, 1.48, .950

December rank: 11

Key December performance: 38 saves on 39 shots in a 2-1 win vs. New Jersey Devils on Dec 10

Stolarz was on track to have a career year until getting injured in a game against the Ducks on December 12. The Maple Leafs held on to go one game above .500 during the rest of December without their 30-year-old veteran even though their GAA jumped up to 3.56 in those games. As yet, there has been no timetable announced for the anticipated return of Stolarz and Toronto has used a trio of goalies in an attempt to stabilize the situation in the crease in the meantime.

7. Jacob Markstrom – New Jersey Devils

Season stats: 19-7-2, 2.15, .912, 3 shutouts

December stats: 8-1-1, 1.30, .937, 2 shutouts

December rank: 28

Key December performance: 38 saves on 39 shots in a 5-1 win vs New York Rangers – Dec 2

Markstrom had a month for the ages in December during which he won in six consecutive starts. Two of those wins were consecutive shutouts against the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Rangers. The Devils picked up the Swedish veteran netminder in a trade with the Calgary Flames this past summer in hopes of finally finding some stability in the New Jersey crease, something that they have been lacking for a number of seasons now. After an up and down start to the season, Markstrom has seemingly found his stride and looks poised to help lead the Devils into becoming the team they envisioned they could be, a serious contender.

8. Mackenzie Blackwood – Colorado Avalanche

Season stats: 11-10-3, 2.71, .915, 1 shutout

December stats: 6-2-0, 2.10, .935

December rank: 18

Key December performance: 51 saves on 54 shots in a 3-1 vs. Florida Panthers as a member of the San Jose Sharks on Dec 7

Colorado was a powerhouse at every position except goaltending, so GM Chris MacFarland set out to solve that. On December 9, a trade was made with the San Jose Sharks for Mackenzie Blackwood, on his birthday no less, in hopes that he was the solution. The 28-year-old promptly won five of his first six starts for his new GM who then signed him to a five-year contract on December 27.

9. John Gibson – Anaheim Ducks

Season stats: 5-5-1, 2.93, .906

December stats: 1-4-0, 3.45, .896

December rank: 5

Key December performance: 39 saves on 42 shots in a 4-3 win vs. Columbus Blue Jackets on Dec 14

Though the marquee stats (wins, GAA, Save%) took a dive in December, some of the more deeper dive analytical stats (situational save %, shot zones save %, save % above expected) are still very impressive and good enough to keep him on this top 10. An argument could be made that the Ducks have the best goaltending tandem in the NHL though I suspect that might be relatively short term as I would not be surprised at all if Gibson ends up traded to a contender as Anaheim continues their rebuild. There is no doubting that teams have taken notice of the strong play of the 31-year-old veteran netminder this season.

10. Scott Wedgewood – Colorado Avalanche

Season stats: 5-4-1, 2.69, .908, 1 shutout

December stats: 4-2-0, 1.94, .932, 1 shutout

December rank: NR

Key December performance: 25 save shutout in a 4-0 win vs. New Jersey Devils on Dec 8

As noted earlier in the Mackenzie Blackwood blurb, the Avalanche started the season with goaltending concerns. The first step GM MacFarland took in addressing that concern was by acquiring Wedgewood in a trade with the Nashville Predators on Nov 30. The Brampton, Ontario native strengthened the Colorado goaltending depth and solidified the number two hole for the club. The acquisition of Blackwood reunited the “Wooden Goalie Duo” who were teammates for two seasons in New Jersey. Wedgewood was in the top 10 in five of the statistical categories used to tabulate this list, and impressively led the league in four of them, which puts him on this list despite not being ranked at all in the previous two tabulations.