It All Started Here: Connor Hellebuyck

Long before backstopping a gold medal run at the 2026 Olympics, Connor Hellebuyck was tending goal for his local high school hockey team.

Hellebuyck grew up in Commerce, Michigan, and attended Walled Lake Northern High School. Unlike many of his current NHL players, Hellebuyck wasn’t considered a blue-chip recruit and didn’t pursue high-level private prep hockey.

While Walled Lake Northern was not known as a traditional powerhouse in high school hockey, Hellebuyck made the most of his opportunity.

As a four-year starter, Hellebuyck helped the Knights to a 50-44-11 record. In his senior season in 2011, despite his team finishing 6-16-1,

Hellebuyck posted a .930 save percentage and earned second-team all-state honors. Hellebuyck was not drafted out of high school, but received an invitation to the Odessa Jackalopes main camp, reportedly based on a recommendation from local scouts. He then went to Texas to compete for a roster spot on the junior hockey team, which had already drafted a goaltender that year.

That opportunity took Hellebuyck from a relatively unknown talent to a top prospect.

Hellebuyck not only made the team but earned the starting role, playing in 54 games and recording 26 wins with a .930 save percentage and a 2.49 goals-against average. He was named both North American Hockey League Rookie of the Year and Goaltender of the Year.

That lone season caught the attention of the University of Massachusetts Lowell coaching staff and NHL scouts, and Hellebuyck was selected by the Winnipeg Jets in the fifth round, 130th overall, in the 2012 NHL Draft. He then committed to play at UMass Lowell.

Hellebuyck had a breakout freshman season at UMass Lowell, helping the River Hawks to a 20-3-0 record while posting a .952 save percentage and a 1.37 goals-against average. The River Hawks made a Frozen Four appearance that season, and Hellebuyck was named Hockey East Player of the Year and Hockey East Tournament MVP in 2013.

Hellebuyck earned Hockey East Goaltender of the Year honors again in 2014 as a sophomore, as well as the Mike Richter Award, which goes to the top goaltender in college hockey, helping Lowell to back-to-back Hockey East regular-season titles.

In April 2014, Hellebuyck chose to forgo his final two years of college eligibility to sign an entry-level contract with the Jets.

Hellebuyck played for the St. John’s IceCaps (later changed to the Manitoba Moose), Winnipeg’s American Hockey League team, before getting called up to the Jets on November 22, 2015.

After nearly two seasons sharing time in the crease, Hellebuyck became the de facto starter for the Jets. During the 2017-18 season, he helped the Jets to a 44-11- 9 record – setting the record for most single-season wins by an American goaltender in the NHL – while posting a .924 save percentage and a 2.36 goals-against average. He was a Vezina Trophy finalist, which goes to the NHL’s top goaltender, and led the Jets to the Western Conference Final.

He won his first Vezina Trophy in the 2019-20 season and added a second in 2023.

In 2025, Hellebuyck not only won his third Vezina Trophy but also his first Hart Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s most valuable player, becoming the first goaltender to win the Hart since 2015.

On top of all his NHL successes, this past January it was announced Hellebuyck would represent his country at the Olympics in Milan and Cortina.

From there, he become an American hockey legend.

In five games at the Olympics—all U.S. wins—Hellebuyck posted a .956 save percentage and a 1.18 goals-against average.

In the gold medal game, a 2-1 win over Canada, Hellebuyck made 41 saves on 42 shots, including stopping all 14 shots in the third period to force overtime. His efforts helped the U.S. win its first Olympic gold in men’s hockey since 1980.

Following the Olympics, Hellebuyck was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor in the United States.

Jordan Morey is manager of communications and media relations at the NFHS.