Morden goalie earns spot with WHL’s Silvertips

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/12/2024 (258 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Raiden LeGall’s temporary assignment as a backup goaltender with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips has turned into a more permanent gig.

On Friday, the 18-year-old from Morden was confirmed a WHL regular when the Silvertips traded veteran goaltender Alex Garrett, 19, to the Brandon Wheat Kings.

LeGall is currently the No. 2 man behind 18-year-old veteran Jesse Sanche, who leads the league in goals-against average and is second in save percentage.

In six games since being called up from the MJHL’s Niverville Nighthawks in mid-November as a injury fill-in for Sanche, LeGall posted a 5-1-0-0 record with a .944 save percentage and 1.51 goals-against average for the No. 3-ranked team in the Canadian Hockey League.

“It’s been awesome here — it’s another level compared to playing back home and they treat you well, so it’s been great,” said LeGall from Everett, Wash.

The only serious blip in LeGall’s pre-Christmas stint in Everett came in a 4-1 loss to the Portland Winter Hawks on Dec. 11. Three nights later, he rallied to stop 30 of 31 shots in a 4-1 triumph over the visiting Tri-City Americans.

“I feel like probably after that Tri-City game I felt like I belonged because they were a strong team and we were without two of our top defencemen,” said LeGall. “We were a little worried going into that one and then got a big win there going into the break. After that, I feel like I can play and compete at this level.”

Silvertips GM Mike Fraser, who is expected to bolster his roster further prior to the league’s Jan. 9 trade deadline, said LeGall has met and exceeded expectations.

“It wasn’t an easy decision, in the sense that Alex had been playing really well,” said Fraser. “In the end, what it came down to was we envision Raiden with us not only this year but next year. We wanted to invest more of the time in him.”

LeGall, who posted a 7-7-1-0 record with a 2.46 goals-against average and .921 save percentage with Niverville, didn’t falter when he moved to a higher level of competition.

“I knew he could play that way but in the same breath, I wondered what it was going to be like for him just adjusting to the league and that type of thing,” said Fraser. “But his demeanour is so calm and he doesn’t get too high or too low.”

Entering Friday’s action, the Silvertips were running away with top spot in the Western Conference standings with a 25-5-2-1 record.

“We’ve got a really good team — especially defensively,” said LeGall. “It’s crazy, because there’s not a lot of great scoring opportunities coming our way and we can put the puck in the net, too. It’s pretty cool to see.”

Sanche was scheduled to make the start Friday when the Silvertips faced the Seattle Thunderbirds at Climate Pledge Arena, home of the NHL’s Seattle Kraken.

How will ice time be distributed among the goaltenders?

“Their play will dictate that,” said Fraser. “I think we have two very capable goaltenders now and they know that it’s going to be a friendly competition. In the same breath, they are teammates and they get along well and they both understand the situation. It’s taking us a little bit to get to this point with our goaltending, but I think we’re happy now with being able to put either one of those two guys in and against any team in our league.”

Trade notes: The Calgary Hitmen acquired 19-year-old forward Lukas Hansen from the Saskatoon Blades in exchange for 2009-born prospect Adam Halat. Hansen, a Winnipeg product, is in his fourth WHL season. Drafted by the Blades in the second round of the 2020 WHL Prospects Draf, Hansen had 22 goals and 43 points in 168 regular-season games.

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca