The Everett Silvertips are in their 16th season in the WHL, and during that entire stretch the Tips have essentially been set with their goaltending. Everett has had just eight No. 1 goaltenders in its 16 seasons, with all eight firmly entrenched as dependable No. 1s. There were two pockets where there was some uncertainty in Everett’s goal, at the start of the 2008-09 and 2012-13 seasons, but both times the situation was sorted out by mid-season. It’s an incredible streak of security in net.
What is also remarkable is that the goalies have almost all been homegrown. Leland Irving, who was a part of Everett’s first bantam draft class in 2003, took over as the No. 1 as a 17-year-old in 2005. Since then the Tips have had just six No. 1s over the course of 14 seasons (a stretch current No. 1 Dustin Wolf seems set to extend to at least 16), five of whom were drafted and developed by Everett.
Here’s the timeline of Silvertips No. 1 goaltenders:
Jeff Harvey
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2003-04
Stats with Everett: 24-14-7, 1.99 goals against average, .925 save percentage
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Quality goalies have been a constant in Silvertips historyDec 1, 2018
Tenure: Harvey, an overager acquired in a trade with Swift Current during the expansion draft, was the Silvertips’ first big star. He led Everett to the U.S. Division title and Western Conference championship as an expansion team. He was named a second-team Western Conference All-Star and started the Tips’ goaltending tradition.
Michael Wall
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2004-05
Stats with Everett: 35-34-12, 1.99 goals against average, .928 save percentage
Tenure: Wall, acquired in a trade with Prince George early in Everett’s expansion season, succeeded Harvey as the No. 1 goaltender. Wall’s play in his one season as the Tips’ starter earned him an NHL contract with the Anaheim Ducks, and he became the first Silvertip to appear in an NHL game.
Leland Irving
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2005-08
Stats with Everett: 107-62-11, 2.05 goals against average, .925 save percentage
Tenure: Irving is Everett’s first homegrown goaltender, having been selected in the fifth round of the 2003 bantam draft. He was a first-round NHL draft pick in 2006 and a two-time second-team Western Conference All-Star. He appeared in 13 NHL games with the Calgary Flames and is still playing professionally in Austria.
Thomas Heemskerk
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2008-10
Stats with Everett: 33-27-6, 2.71 goals against average, .918 save percentage
Tenure: Everett’s goaltending early in the 2008-09 season was a mess, so the Tips acquired Heemskerk from Kootenay in December and he solidified the position. He led the WHL in save percentage in 2009-10, earning himself a free-agent contract with the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
Kent Simpson
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2010-12
Stats with Everett: 71-71-21, 3.02 goals against average, .911 save percentage
Tenure: Simpson is Everett’s second great homegrown goalie, having been selected in the first round of the 2007 bantam draft. He was selected in the second round of the 2010 NHL draft and appeared in one NHL game with the Chicago Blackhawks.
Austin Lotz
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2012-15
Stats with Everett: 73-61-15, 2.95 goals against average, .902 save percentage
Tenure: Lotz was selected by Everett in the seventh round of the 2010 bantam draft, and the acrobatic netminder made perhaps more spectacular saves than any goalie in franchise history. He’s playing professionally in the minors.
Carter Hart
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2015-18
Stats with Everett: 116-46-22, 2.01 goals against average, .927 save percentage
Tenure: Hart, selected in the eighth round of the 2013 bantam draft, is the most accomplished goaltender in WHL history, having won three consecutive Scotty Munro Trophies as the league’s top netminder. He was selected in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft, backstopped the Tips to the 2018 Western Conference championship, and is currently playing in the AHL in the Philadelphia Flyers’ system as one of the top goaltending prospects in hockey.
Dustin Wolf
Years as No. 1 goaltender: 2018-present
Stats with Everett (through Thursday): 32-13-1, 2.02 goals against average, .927 save percentage
Tenure: A fifth-round pick in the 2016 bantam draft, Wolf was given the difficult assignment of succeeding Hart. But despite being just 17 years old, Wolf hasn’t missed a beat. He’s considered a top goaltending prospect for the 2019 NHL draft.
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