Saskatoon Blades goaltender Nolan Maier has been named the WHL Eli Wilson Goaltending Goaltender of the Week and league nominee for the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending January 6, 2019.
Maier won all three of his starts over the last week and sported a 3-0-0-0 record with a 1.65 goals-against average and he stopped 76 of 81 shots for 0.938 save percentage. On Sunday, the Yorkton native closed out the week with a 27 save performance in a 5-2 win over the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Blades continue their 5-game home stand Tuesday when they welcome the Seattle Thunderbirds to SaskTel Centre. Game time is 7 p.m. with the broadcast on 98 Cool beginning at 6 with the Sardinia Family Restaurant pre-game show. Following is the news release from the Blades…
BLADES’ MAIER NAMED WHL ELI WILSON GOALTENDING GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
Calgary, Alta. – The Western Hockey League announced today that Nolan Maier of the Saskatoon Blades has been named the WHL Eli Wilson Goaltending Goaltender of the Week and league nominee for the Vaughn CHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending January 6, 2019.
Maier won all three of his starts this week, sporting a 3-0-0-0 record, 1.65 goals-against-average, and stopped 76 of 81 shots for a 0.938 save percentage as the Blades continued to rise in the East Division, growing their lead in second place.
As the calendars flipped over to 2019, Maier remained dominant with the Blades, stopping 17 of 19 shots in a New Year’s Day victory against the Swift Current Broncos. Friday, Maier and the Blades played host to the Regina Pats, topping their divisional rivals by a 2-1 score in overtime. Maier stopped 32 of 33 shots by the Pats, earning first star honours for the game.
Sunday, Maier closed out his week with a 27-save performance in a 5-2 win against the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Yorkton, Sask. product was once again named the first star of the game for his efforts as he collected his 21st victory of the season.
Originally selected in the second round, 25th overall, by the Blades in the 2016 WHL Bantam Draft, Maier has followed up a strong rookie campaign with a 21-8-4-0 record in 34 games this season. He’s also maintained a 2.74 GAA, 0.908 SV%, and added two shutouts. The 17-year-old is fourth in the league in victories, ninth in GAA, 13th in SV%, and tied for fourth in shutouts.
The 6-foot-0, 168-pound goaltender who is eligible for the 2019 National Hockey League Draft has appeared in 77 WHL regular season games overall, sporting a 44-25-5-1, 3.06 GAA, 0.901 SV%, and four shutouts. Internationally, Maier was part of Hockey Canada’s team that won the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and has also represented his country in the past at the 2017 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge.
The Blades continue a five-game home stand Tuesday, January 8 (7:00 p.m. CT) against the Seattle Thunderbirds.
