Burke Hood had an impressive rookie season in the WHL. The Vancouver Giants goaltender went 19-13-6 and picked up a Gold with Canada at the 2025 U18s. Thanks to his strong campaign, Hood also heard his name called at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft as he was selected 170th overall by the New York Islanders.

Being a rookie goaltender in the WHL is not easy. In Hood's case, he spent the 2023-24 campaign in a U18 league and only had one game in the MJHL before making his WHL debut. As Hood explained, he learned a lot early in the year, which helped him excel late in the regular season. 

"It takes time," said Hood. "That's probably the biggest thing I've learned from it. You're not just gonna come in and be a stud right away. You have to work. It takes time to become who you want to become. I didn't play how I liked in the first half. It was very up and down. Some good games and some not-so-great games. But I feel if I didn't go through that, I wouldn't have had the second half I did have."

As mentioned, Hood was a sixth-round pick by the Islanders and one of just two goaltenders from the WHL who were selected. Listed at 6'4", 203 lbs, the 18-year-old headed to the airport the day after being drafted in order to attend development camp. According to Hood, the whole experience was special as he had the opportunity to bond with some of his new teammates both on and off the ice. 

"It was a long day, but based on how I played last year, I felt like I improved a lot. I'm very glad to be with the Islanders organization. Going to dev camp, left at like three o'clock the next day to get on my flight to go to New York, went to Montreal, then flew to New York. Camp was great. It was a great experience on the ice. Working out every morning, and then we would go see the city a little bit later on in the night. Went to Top Golf  and other nights, went to the beach and stuff, but it was a great experience, and I'm super happy to have gone through it."

As for New York organizations, they have built one of the top prospect pools in the NHL. Some of their notable prospects include Tomáš Poletín and Jacob Kvasnicka, who will both be playing in the WHL this season. As Hood explains, he learned a lot from development camp as he was able to work with some of the best players from his age group. 

"It's fast. There's a lot of high-end talent there, even the younger guys in the system. They're there for a reason. They're good players. They deserve to be there. There's a lot of skill and a lot of guys who are willing to work for what they want."

Shifting over to next season, Hood is going to play a key role for Vancouver. Once he returns from Islanders training camp, he will once again take over the crease as the Giants' starter. When asked about his development goals heading into the 2025-26 campaign, Hood spoke about continuing to improve and become a stronger goaltender in all aspects of the game. 

"Just trying to come out here, be confident. Confidence is probably one of the biggest parts of my game. Continue to prove myself, even as a returning guy. In my head, that doesn't really matter. I still want to come out here and try to be the best person on the ice every day."

As for Vancouver, Hood is confident that his team will take a step forward this season. Last year, the Giants did qualify for the playoffs, but fell in the first round to the Spokane Chiefs. Overall, Vancouver should have a strong team in 2025-26, with one of the big reasons being Hood's play in net. 

"I think we have a good group. I think we have a good chance of being a really good team. I think we could make it far. We need everybody to come together and work."

If Hood can build on his strong performances from last year, the Giants could be one of the top teams in the Western Conference. In 2024-25, he finished tied for fourth in the league with three shutouts, while his .910 save percentage ranked tied for sixth among qualified goaltenders. Ultimately, Hood has the potential to be one of the top goaltenders in the WHL this season, and may even find himself nominated for an award at the end of the year. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's WHL site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.  

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