John Jones-Imagn ImagesDylan Garand held his own in his NHL debut on Sunday afternoon, which ended in a New York Rangers’ 3-2 shootout loss against the Winnipeg Jets.
This day was a long time coming as Garand was drafted in the fourth round by the Rangers back in 2020 and has spent the past four seasons playing in the American Hockey League for the Hartford Wolf Pack.
“I think there are a lot of goalies that get rushed into the NHL, first or second year pro, not that many games under your belt, and things like that,” Garand said. “Sometimes that hurts your career. For me, I've played a lot of American League games, and, yeah, I think it's made me more ready for today. Didn’t rush my development. Definitely leaned on all of that experience for sure.”
On Wednesday night, after the Wolf Pack’s 5-2 win over the Charlotte Checkers, Garand was informed that not only would he be called up to the NHL, but he was also slated to start on Sunday.
The 23-year-old goaltender’s mind was consumed by what would transpire once he touched the ice at Madison Square Garden on Sunday.
“I found out after a game last Wednesday that I was gonna play on Sunday, so I just was kind of thinking all day, every day for the last four days,” Garand confessed.
Garand secured tickets for his mom, dad, stepmom, and goalie coach from his days with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League.
Garand flashed off his potential, recording a total of 35 saves on 37 shots, while making timely stops, especially down the stretch in the third period.
He was poised, looking steady and calm behind the pipes, and he did not appear to be flustered by the moment.
Despite giving up two goals on Winnipeg’s two attempts in the shootout, Mike Sullivan was pleased with Garand’s performance.
“He obviously was terrific,” Sullivan said of Garand. “He looked really solid, calm demeanor there, track pucks well, rebound control was great. He made some big saves for us. I thought he had a really strong game.”
In the grand scheme of things, the score in Sunday afternoon’s game was meaningless compared to the magnitude of this day for Garand and his family.
The young goaltender has had to overcome a long journey filled with highs and lows to get to this point, waiting patiently in the AHL for years before this opportunity to play in the NHL finally came around.
“I've kind of been waiting to make my NHL debut my whole life… I don't even remember the last time I didn't want to be a hockey player. It’s my life’s dream,” Garand said. “It's pretty cool to accomplish that. Hopefully it’s just the beginning, but yeah, it's a dream come true for sure. It’s an awesome experience, and I’m glad my family is here for it too.”
With Jonathan Quick’s contract ending at the end of the 2025-26 season and his future in the NHL still uncertain past this year, the Rangers' backup goaltending position behind Igor Shesterkin could very much be up for grabs.
Garand’s NHL debut showed that he’s capable of slotting into that backup role if the opportunity is presented to him.