Second-round Chicago draft pick in 2023 makes 36 saves in tense shutout of Switzerland.
Blackhawks goalie prospect Adam Gajan stopped 36 shots in Slovakia's 3-0 shutout of Switzerland on Wednesday at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Göteborg, Sweden.
The 19-year-old Gajan followed up on a 27-save effort in Slovakia's opening 6-2 win over Czechia on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-2, 180-pound Gajan, named best goalie in the WJC last year, had to be sharp on Wednesday afternoon and hold the fort. The Swiss outshot the Slovaks 36-18 and often dominated in a tight game.
Slovakia's Samuel Honzek scored midway through the first period, then Gajan protected a one-goal lead until Peter Repcik and Servac Petrovsky sealed it with empty-net goals in the final two minutes.
In two games, Gajan is 2-0-0 with a 1.00 goals-against average and .969 save percentage. Chicago selected him in the second round, 35th overall of the 2023 NHL draft.
Fellow 2023 second-round Blackhawks draftee Martin Misiak, a center, didn't figure in the scoring for Slovakia on Wednesday.
Gajan appeared in four games for the Slovaks last year's WJC, going 2-2-0 with a 2.40 goals against average and .936 save percentage. His play at the tournament upped his stock heading into the 2023 NHL Draft.
Gajan has been getting a lot of playing time in North America this season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. He's 14-4-2 with a 3.03 goals-against average and .911 save percentage. Gajan has committed to play NCAA Division I next season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth.