After two shutouts in two games, Vancouver Giants netminder Burke Hood has been named WHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Sunday, January 5, 2025, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.
The 17-year-old rookie led all starting goalies with a 3-0-0-0 record, a 1.10 goals-against average, a .965 save percentage and back-to-back shutout victories.
The 6-foot-3, 193-pound puck stopper kicked off his week with two relief appearances: first coming in with the Giants down 3-0 and helping them storm back to beat the Victoria Royals 7-6 on Tuesday on the road, before coming in relief again against Victoria on Wednesday Night in the Dub action, where he stopped 25 of 26 shots in two periods.
On Friday, January 3, Hood picked up where he left off against the Wenatchee Wild at home, turning aside all 27 shots he faced 鈥� including four Wild powerplays 鈥� for a 3-0 win and his first WHL shutout. He was named first star of the game.
The following night, Hood got much more offensive support 鈥� and faced a lot more rubber. He was named first star again with a monster 44-save shutout of the Kelowna Rockets in a 7-0 victory. His finest moment came in a pair of second-period kicking pad stops on defenceman Nate Corbet and third-period breakaway stop on Kayden Longley.
The blowout saw the Giants win their first game in Kelowna since January 21, 2023, snapping a nine-game losing streak at Prospera Place.
Hood鈥檚 shutout streak stands at an impressive 149:48. He鈥檚 the first Giants netminder to post back-to-back clean sheets since Colorado Avalanche prospect Trent Miner had three in a row on March 28, April 4 and April 5 in the 2021 bubble season.
Hood is 8-5-3-0 in his first WHL season with a 3.51 goals-against average, an .895 save percentage and the two shutouts. He鈥檚 undefeated in his three starts following the WHL鈥檚 holiday break. Hood is 5-1-0 with a 2.12 G.A.A and .932 save percentage in his last eight appearances, dating back to December 6.
The Brandon, Man. Native was drafted by the Giants in the sixth round of the 2022 WHL Prospects Draft.
Vancouver (19-14-4-0) has now won two straight games and six of their last seven. They remain in seventh place in the competitive Western Conference, but are now just five points back of the fourth-place Victoria Royals.
The G-men head north to face the B.C.-leading Prince George Cougars (22-10-3-2) for a two-game set at the CN Centre starting on Tuesday, January 7 at 7:00 p.m. PST.
Giants next home game is Saturday, Jan. 11 against the Kelowna Rockets at 7 p.m. Vancouver will then host Tri-City on Friday, Jan.17 and the Brandon Wheat Kings on Sunday, Jan. 19.
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