Perry Nelson-Imagn ImagesNew York Rangers goalie prospect Dylan Grand finally got his moment in the spotlight.
On Saturday afternoon in Stockholm, Sweden, Garand started for Team Canada’s opening game of the World Championship and he recorded a shutout.
Garand’s performance helped lead Team Canada to a decisive 4-0 victory over Slovenia.
While the Canadiens heavily outshot the Slovenians 44-11, Garand was forced to make some difficult saves, especially early on in the contest when the game was still up for grabs.
Team Canada coach Dean Evason made sure to praise Garand after the win.
“I’m very impressed,” Evason said about Garand. “We gave up a couple opportunities, some three on ones, and he made some tremendous saves. They had good opportunities and Grand played really well for sure.”
The 22-year-old recorded a 20-10-9 record, .913 save percentage, and 2.73 goals against average with the Hartford Wolf Pack of the American Hockey League while also representing the Atlantic Division at the AHL All-Star Game this season.
It’s unclear how much Garand will play with both Marc-André Fleury and Jordan Binnington on the roster, but he certainly made a positive first impression.