Dylan Garand

He first stepped into prominence as a teenager in the WHL: in 2018–19, at 16, Dylan Garand seized the starting role for the Kamloops Blazers after an injury to the incumbent and helped the club reach the playoffs. That season he combined solid on-ice numbers — roughly a 2.21 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage — with off-ice achievement, earning the Daryl K. Seaman Trophy as the league's scholastic player of the year. Those junior performances led to his selection by the New York Rangers in the fourth round, 103rd overall, of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Garand split the next years between junior dominance and initial pro exposure. He returned to Kamloops for 2021–22 and emerged as one of the WHL's top netminders: he won the Del Wilson Trophy as the league's best goalie, was named a First Team All-Star in the B.C. Division, and tied for the league lead with 34 wins while posting a .925 save percentage and a 2.16 GAA. Midseason he signed his first professional contract with the Rangers and had brief AHL appearances with Hartford.

As a professional he spent most of his early seasons with the Hartford Wolf Pack. The 2022–23 campaign featured an uneven regular season in the AHL but a clear uptick during the playoffs, when his numbers improved and he recorded two shutouts in eight postseason games. The organization repeatedly recalled him to New York as a backup on short notice in subsequent seasons, and he alternated between AHL starts, Calder Cup playoff runs and emergency NHL call-ups, eventually earning a one-year extension after the 2024–25 season.

Internationally Garand has represented Canada at the junior world level: he was a backup in the 2021 World Juniors (silver medal) and then returned as the starting netminder for the rescheduled 2022 tournament, winning six of seven games en route to gold. He later joined Canada’s senior World Championship roster in 2025 and recorded a shutout in the game he started.

His style is grounded in tracking and positioning rather than sheer size — at about 6 ft 1 in he is not the tallest goalie, but coaches praise his head tracking, steady positioning, reactive hands and efficient movement. Teammates and staff have highlighted his preparation, work ethic and cerebral approach: he builds saves through reading the puck and staying square rather than relying solely on athleticism.