Stuart Skinner, Adin Hill the frontrunners to be Canada’s No. 1 goalie at 4 Nations Face-Off

Credit: USA Today Sports

The days of Canada rolling up to a tournament with three future Hockey Hall of Famers are long gone.

Canada’s 2010 gold medal effort was backed by Martin Brodeur, Roberto Luongo and Marc-Andre Fleury – arguably the most impressive goalie trio to ever grace international hockey. The first two were shoo-ins well before they retired, while Fleury is second all-time in wins. In 2014, Carey Price took over the reigns, and while he only had a few chances to don the red, white, and black, he managed to build one of the most dominant goalies resumes in Hockey Canada’s history.

But the nation’s struggles in net have been well-documented. Fleury is still active, but he’ll be 40 when the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off kicks off. Price is essentially retired due to injuries, and Canada has had just three Vezina Trophy winners over the past decade – Price in 2015, Braden Holtby in 2016, and Fleury in 2021.

It trickles down to all levels of the men’s game, especially at the World Juniors. It seems like a coin flip every year, but we have seen some spectacular performances from Devon Levi and Thomas Milic in recent years.

One thing’s for sure: there’s no superstar Canadian goaltender for the first time since the NHL started sending players to the Olympics. But it might not be as big of a concern heading into the 4 Nations Face-Off like some might make it out to be.

Canada doesn’t have the depth the United States has – boasting a top three of Connor Hellebuyck, Thatcher Demko and Jake Oettinger. But two names have quickly emerged as the top candidates to hold down the No. 1 spot: Vegas’ Adin Hill and Edmonton’s Stuart Skinner.

These aren’t household names. But they’re pretty darn good.

Statistically, both have been among the best goaltenders in the NHL this season. Hill has missed 22 games due to injuries, but when healthy, he’s been lights out. His .943 save percentage at 5-on-5 is second best in the NHL, while his 12.19 goals saved above average is good for fifth. Vegas plays a good defensive system, but Hill has been one of the team’s most important players – as shown by his 0.876 high-danger save percentage, which is good for third.

Skinner’s season-long stats look a bit rough given his .880 save percentage after his first 10 games. But in his past 12 games, only Buffalo’s Ukko Pekka Luukkonen (.944) has a better SV% than Skinner’s .939.

It’s not like either goalie rose from relative obscurity. Many scouts considered Adin Hill one of the best goaltending prospects in the game while in Arizona. He bounced around a few bottom-feeders before finding his way to Vegas during the summer of 2022, giving the team some goaltending depth. Hill was fine during the regular season, but the Golden Knights ran with a 1-2 duo of Laurent Brossoit and Jonathan Quick to start.

But Hill took over during Vegas’ playoff series against Edmonton when injuries arose – and he never looked back. To the scouts who always believed in him, they weren’t surprised – he just needed the right opportunity to make it work. Hill led the team to the Cup, earned some Conn Smythe Trophy consideration and got a nice payday over the summer, indicating that he was indeed the team’s future in net.

“He has some years in the league, and all of a sudden, you start to filter out the noise and find out what works for you,” former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton said on Daily Faceoff Live earlier this week. “Last year was a big stepping stone for him in the playoffs. I don’t think anyone saw, this year, that he would be this successful. But for me, he has played so well and really fine-tuned his game.”

Skinner, 25, was a finalist for the 2023 Calder Trophy after stealing the net from Jack Campbell. He struggled during the playoffs, and many questioned if Skinner wasn’t everything he was cracked up to be when he was dreadful to start 2023-24. But Skinner has been a superstar over the past few months, helping to ease the seemingly never-ending concern in net.

Hill does have recent experience with Canada’s men’s team, sharing the net with Darcy Kuemper en route to gold at the 2021 men’s IIHF World Hockey Championship. Skinner backed up Evan Fitzpatrick at the 2016 U-18 World Championship in an otherwise difficult showing for Canada. So much has changed since then, including Skinner’s rise as one of the AHL’s top goaltenders before earning a full-time gig with the Oilers last season.

Goaltending is voodoo. Hill wasn’t the No. 1 on his own team this time last year, let alone the favorite to be Canada’s starting goalie. The Carter Hart situation complicated things. Tristan Jarry can be an absolute game stealer, but also has his total off games . Samuel Montembeault and Jordan Binnington have realistic shots at competing for one of the three spots, too. Marc-Andre Fleury is playing well, but will he even play next season? It’ll be a dogfight – not just for 2025, but for the 2026 Winter Olympics, too. And given how fluid it all looks, we could see Devon Levi, Sebastian Cossa or Joel Hofer leading the charge in two years time.

But right now, Hill and Skinner are in prime positions to battle it out. We’ll see how that changes come December.

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Stuart Skinner, Adin Hill the frontrunners to be Canada’s No. 1 goalie at 4 Nations Face-Off

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