On today\u2019s menu: Can Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck snag the #1 spot after many near misses? Do any Canadians crack the top 10? How far did Jeremy Swayman drop after a shaky debut as a starter? We\u2019re ranking the top 30 netminders, debating the surprise shifts, and highlighting the biggest rises and falls from last summer.<\/p>\n
If you missed\u00a0Part 1\u00a0(forwards)<\/a> or\u00a0Part 2\u00a0(defensemen)<\/a> of the series, be sure to catch up.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udd5b High Noon Background<\/p>\n Before we begin, here\u2019s a reminder on the methodology. High Noon originally was a Hall of Fame tool; you can read about its mechanics in this\u00a0original post<\/a>. It uses a weighted three-year average:\u00a02024-25\u00a0counts 50% of a player\u2019s score;\u00a02023-24\u00a0gets one-third (33%);\u00a02022-23\u00a0is one-sixth (17%). The split provides a long-range view of performance, a critical ingredient to avoid crowning one-hit wonders.<\/p>\n While the approach to ranking goalies is the same as skaters, the inputs naturally differ:<\/p>\n By leveraging goalie point shares, the High Noon system is driven by box score stats,\u00a0not\u00a0advanced data.\u00a0Think save percentage, shots faced and minutes played. Expected goals models that attempt to measure shot quality are not factored.<\/p>\n The methodology does not project.\u00a0The rankings cover what a goalie has done, not what they might do. If a 25-year-old and 35-year-old perform similarly over three seasons, they will rank similarly.<\/p>\n Playoffs aren\u2019t factored, as post-season opportunities are too arbitrary and team dependent.<\/p>\n Goalies that haven\u2019t played half the schedule each of the last three seasons are penalized.\u00a0In last year\u2019s version<\/a>, a player needed to participate in three seasons to be eligible. That\u2019s since changed. Each season\u2019s divisor is 41 games. Rookies now enter the rankings and build a score over three full seasons. The reason? Goalies that can\u2019t (or have yet to) control a crease or physically handle 50% of the schedule annually aren\u2019t enduring the same level of rigor necessary to hang with the NHL\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n Who\u2019s the ideal goaltender in the High Noon methodology? One that: 1. Has a high save percentage; 2. Faces a high shot count; 3. Played at least 41 games in each of the last three seasons. The fun part about goalie rankings is that they fluctuate a lot more than with skaters. With few reliably dominant performers given the position\u2019s inseparable connection to team defense, plus battles for a limited number of jobs, the goalie hierarchy shifts fast. In just two years, 13 of the top 30 have turned over.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udc51 The Top 30<\/p>\n How to Read the Rankings:\u00a0Igor Shesterkin\u2019s score in the High Noon system below is 10.5, ranking him the NHL\u2019s #6 goaltender in 2025. The Change column (-2) shows his drop from #4 to #6 since last summer. Shesterkin\u2019s career peak \u2014 his\u00a0High Noon\u00a0\u2014 is #2, the highest he\u2019s been ranked previously (2022).<\/p>\n Just Missed: Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (#31); Jake Allen (#32)<\/p>\n 1\ufe0f\u20e3 Who\u2019s #1?<\/p>\n Finally. It took a league MVP and third Vezina for Hellebuyck to officially reach #1. But his rankings over the last six years reveal a tremendous peak: #3, #2, #4, #5, #2, #1. Only two goalies that have played in the salary cap era have had a six-year streak in the top five: Hall of Famer Roberto Luongo (seven years from 2002 to 2009) and unheralded Tomas Vokoun (six years from 2006 to 2011). Both Hellebuyck\u2019s 2024-25 and 2023-24 seasons scored as the NHL\u2019s best, so he\u2019s a good bet to remain in the top five a while longer. His current lead (0.9) is the largest in High Noon by a goalie in 15 years.<\/p>\n For those curious, who has the longest post-expansion run in the top five? Patrick Roy (1988 to 2000) and Tony Esposito (1971 to 1983) at 13 years each. Unfathomable consistency and longevity. To take nothing away from Esposito, Roy\u2019s streak is much more impressive given the the globalization of the sport and goalie count over his iconic career. Incredibly, Hellebuyck isn\u2019t even half way there.<\/p>\n High Noon: Top 3 Goaltenders, Last 15 Years<\/p>\n Year#1\u00a0(# of times)#2#32011Thomas (2)VokounHiller2012Thomas (3)LundqvistRinne2013AndersonLundqvistSchneider2014Anderson (2)LundqvistRask2015PriceVarlamovRask2016CrawfordVarlamovMason2017Anderson (3)CrawfordBobrovsky2018GibsonBobrovskyLuongo2019VasilevskiyGibsonAndersen2020LehnerVasilevskiyHellebuyck2021Vasilevskiy (2)HellebuyckVarlamov2022SarosShesterkinVasilevskiy2023Saros (2)UllmarkShesterkin2024UllmarkHellebuyckSorokin2025HellebuyckUllmarkGustavsson<\/p>\n \u2b06\ufe0f Too High?<\/p>\n Linus Ullmark\u00a0(#2), Ottawa<\/a>: Last year\u2019s #1 and the 2022-23 Vezina winner never quite gets the respect his play deserves. Why might that be? For one, he just turned 32 and has never topped 48 starts in a season. He\u2019s also never won a playoff series as a starter. But what does Ullmark do? He stops the puck. Over the last three seasons, his save percentage (.921) is narrowly second in the NHL to Hellebuyck\u2019s (.922). The gap is about two goals. As Ottawa\u2019s rebuild now has real expectations, Ullmark maintaining a high level of play may be the difference in staying in neutral or driving forward.<\/p>\n Filip Gustavsson (#3), Minnesota<\/a>: Gustavsson\u2019s placement here may come as a shock. But he\u2019s quietly reaching his potential. Two of his last three seasons have been sensational, 2023-24\u2019s vanilla effort sandwiching second and sixth-place finishes in save percentage. Minnesota took off his training wheels last season (58 starts) and he picked up a pair of third-place Vezina votes in response. On a Wild team seemingly stuck in the middle for a quarter century, Gustavsson needs to provide elite goaltending.<\/p>\n Sam Montembeault (#9), Montreal<\/a>:\u00a0When Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Montembeault were named to Canada\u2019s 4 Nations Face-Off roster, the days of Canadian dominance in goal were publicly declared dead. Whether that\u2019s true or not, Montembeault\u2019s quietly offered Montreal strong goaltending for three years. His #9 ranking is well-deserved, trailing only Logan Thompson (#7) in High Noon among Canadians. If Montembeault and the upstart Habs<\/a> keep progressing, don\u2019t be shocked if he sees Olympic action in Italy.<\/p>\n \u2b07\ufe0f Too Low?<\/p>\n Darcy Kuemper (#14), Los Angeles<\/a>: A Vezina finalist ranked #14? Kuemper\u2019s sturdy play was a big part of the Kings\u2019 105-point performance last season. But his middle-of-the-pack ranking stems from a light workload in L.A. and a gnarly 2023-24 season in Washington<\/a> \u2014 an .890 save percentage sent Kuemper packing two years into a five-year deal. Despite the optics of playing for four teams in five years, the 35-year-old has built a fine career with a Stanley Cup in Colorado<\/a> (2022) and a High Noon of #6 in Arizona (2020).<\/p>\n Anthony Stolarz (#21), Toronto<\/a>: Stolarz\u2019s .918 save percentage over the last three seasons trails only Hellebuyck\u2019s and Ullmark\u2019s, the two top-ranked goalies on this list. So, why is Stolarz so low? Well, he hasn\u2019t played a lot of hockey. He\u2019s started only 69 games in three years from a combination of injuries and challenges earning the starters\u2019 crease. Stolarz was terrific in Toronto last season, the 2024-25 slice of his High Noon score sixth (11.1) despite being seven games shy of the 41-game minimum. Durability and consistency are what keep most of the goalies out of the top 15.<\/p>\n Thatcher Demko (#37), Vancouver<\/a>: This is a perfect segue to Demko. He was brilliant for the Canucks in 2023-24 as Vezina runner-up. The year before? 32 starts and mid goaltending. Last year? 23 starts and mid goaltending. Lack of availability has tanked Demko\u2019s ranking from his High Noon of #5 (in 2022) all the way to #37. His year-over-year drop (30 places) is the NHL\u2019s largest. Demko is big and incredibly talented and could very well see the biggest rise in 2026. Until he can perform reliably, however, both he and Vancouver remain in a precarious state.<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcc8 Trending Up<\/p>\n Three Biggest Jumps Into the Top 20: T2. Mackenzie Blackwood, Colorado: +26 spots (from #41 to #15)<\/p>\n T2. Lukas Dostal, Anaheim<\/a>: +26 spots (from #43 to #17)<\/p>\n Three Biggest Jumps Into the Top 40: 2. Joseph Woll, Toronto: +33 spots (from #58 to #25)<\/p>\n 3. Anthony Stolarz, Toronto: +29 spots (from #50 to #21)<\/p>\n \ud83d\udcc9 Trending Down<\/p>\n Six Biggest Drops Among Last Year\u2019s Top 40: T1. Kaapo Kahkonen, Montreal: -30 spots (from #34 to #64)<\/p>\n 3. Semyon Varlamov, NY Islanders<\/a>: -28 spots (from #30 to #58)<\/p>\n 4. Marc-Andre Fleury, Retired: -18 spots (from #21 to #39)<\/p>\n T5. Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh<\/a>: -16 spots (from #12 to #28)<\/p>\n T5. Alexandar Georgiev, Buffalo<\/a>: -16 spots (from #25 to #41)<\/p>\n \u23f3 Young Gun Watch<\/p>\n Players don\u2019t earn a full High Noon score until they play half the schedule in three consecutive seasons. So, recent rookies and sophomores will only have begun their ascents up the ladder. Here\u2019s a check-in on three young goalies that saw their first glimpses of full-time goaltending last season.<\/p>\n Joseph Woll (#25), Toronto\u00a0In 67 games over the last two seasons, the 27-year-old has provided the Leafs excellent puck stopping when available and called upon.\u00a0Ranking if based on 2024-25 alone:\u00a0#7<\/p>\n Dustin Wolf (#38), Calgary:\u00a0Wolf\u2019s breakout season in isolation was the highest score (11.4) by a goalie aged 23 or less in 15 years, matching Carey Price\u2019s 2010-11. Wolf will quickly move up the rankings in 2026 entering just his second year as a full-time NHL player.\u00a0Ranking if based on 2024-25 alone:\u00a0#5<\/p>\n Spencer Knight (#54), Chicago<\/a>:\u00a0After taking 2023-24 off entirely, Knight, now signed through 2029, will have full opportunity to establish himself as a legit #1 goalie.\u00a0Ranking if based on 2024-25 alone:\u00a0#25<\/p>\n \ud83d\udca5 Feature Player<\/p>\n After constant speculation, the domino dropped in June and John Gibson was finally traded. The reason potential goalie moves get a lot of attention is because they\u2019re rare. Among the top 30, only two goalies \u2014 Gibson and Petr Mrazek, traded in the same deal \u2014 swapped teams this past offseason. GM Steve Yzerman is hoping Gibson (#27 in High Noon) and incumbent Cam Talbot (#16) collectively solve Detroit<\/a>\u2018s long-running instability in goal.<\/p>\n What are they getting in Gibson? It\u2019s been hard to separate the goaltender from a struggling Ducks\u2019 team for a while. The High Noon rankings say it\u2019s been six years since Gibson was elite \u2014 he ranked #1 and #2 in 2018 and 2019, respectively. Now 32 years old, it\u2019s the classic change of scenery gambit. The Wings are hoping that a motivated veteran fits right in, following the footsteps of Kuemper in Los Angeles last offseason. It would be a welcome development as patience is in short supply for Hockeytown\u2019s rebuild.<\/p>\n Follow\u00a0@AdjustedHockey<\/a>\u00a0on X; visit\u00a0www.adjustedhockey.com<\/a>; data from\u00a0Hockey-Reference<\/a><\/p>\n _____<\/p>\n The Sheet\u00a0is live! Hosted by Jeff Marek, this brand-new show is your daily deep dive into the biggest hockey stories, trends, and insights across the NHL, PWHL, junior hockey, and beyond. Streaming every weekday at 3 PM ET on the\u00a0Daily Faceoff YouTube channel<\/a>,\u00a0The Sheet\u00a0features exclusive interviews with top hockey figures, from industry executives to Olympic champions. Don\u2019t miss out\u2014subscribe to Daily Faceoff on YouTube and follow @TheSheetHockey on social media to stay up-to-date with all the latest from the world of hockey.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\n1. Joey Daccord, Seattle<\/a>: +33 spots (from #51 to #18)<\/p>\n
\n1. Dustin Wolf, Calgary<\/a>: +36 spots (from #74 to #38)<\/p>\n
\nT1. Thatcher Demko, Vancouver: -30 spots (from #7 to #37)<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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