Braden Holtby

Braden Holtby

Holtby with the Capitals in 2016.
Born (1989-09-16) September 16, 1989
Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 203 lb (92 kg; 14 st 7 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team Washington Capitals
NHL Draft 93rd overall, 2008
Washington Capitals
Playing career 2009–present

Braden Holtby (born September 16, 1989) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the fourth round, 93rd overall, by the Capitals in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.
Medal record
Representing  Canada
Men's ice hockey
Canada Cup / World Cup
2016 Toronto

Playing career

Junior

Holtby spent his junior career with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Blades struggled through his first two seasons with the team, and Holtby managed only 42 wins in 115 games. However, in his last WHL season, after being drafted by the Capitals in the fourth round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Holtby nearly equaled his wins total from the previous two seasons, posting a much-improved 40 wins in 61 games.

Professional

In 2009, Holtby made the jump to professional hockey and split the season between the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays and the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League (AHL). He posted an impressive 24 wins in 37 games for the Bears, with a 2.32 goals against average (GAA) and .917 save percentage. He won seven of 12 games with the Stingrays, and represented South Carolina in that season's ECHL All-Star Game.[1]

Holtby made his NHL debut on November 5, 2010, against the Boston Bruins at the Verizon Center. After replacing Michal Neuvirth with ten minutes remaining and the game tied 3–3, Holtby stopped four Bruins shots as the Capitals scored two goals to give him the win.[2] Holtby made his first NHL start two days later against the Philadelphia Flyers, a game the Capitals won 3–2 in overtime.[3] Holtby recorded his first NHL shutout on March 9, 2011, stopping 22 shots in a 5–0 victory over the Edmonton Oilers.[4] After posting a 4–0–0 record, a 1.05 GAA and a .965 save percentage, Holtby was named the NHL's First Star of the Week for the week ending March 13, 2011.[5] On March 27, 2011, Holtby was assigned to Hershey, despite a 10–2–2 record in 14 starts.[6]

With the Capitals in 2013.

He returned on the last game of the 2011–12 season due to starter Tomáš Vokoun's and backup Michal Neuvirth's injuries.[7] Holtby started Game 1 of the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs against the Boston Bruins, saving 29 of 30 shots in a 1–0 overtime loss.[8] In Game 2, Holtby stopped 43 of 44 shots in a 2–1 double overtime win to tie the series at 1–1.[9] Washington Head Coach Dale Hunter decided to start Holtby for the next game, even though Neuvirth and Vokoun would be available in the playoffs, stating, "Holtby's our goalie." Holtby went on to aid the Capitals in upsetting the second seeded Bruins, stopping all but one of the shots he faced in a Game 7 to beat the Bruins 2–1 in overtime. He continued his sensational play against the top-seeded New York Rangers, splitting two road games in New York and stopping all shots he faced until late in a triple overtime game that saw the Capitals fall 2–1. Holtby continued his impressive goaltending by beating the Rangers in Game 4 to tie the series at 2–2. However, he was not as stellar in Game 5, allowing the game-tying goal with 6.6 seconds left in the game and then giving up the losing goal in overtime. After the game, Holtby stated, "I didn't see a thing."[10] After the loss, Holtby rebounded by making 30 saves in Game 6, with the Capitals winning 2–1 and forcing the decisive Game 7. On May 12, Holtby started in his second career Game 7. One minute and 32 seconds into the game, Brad Richards of the Rangers blasted a slap shot past Holtby, making the score 1–0 early in. Holtby was able to shake it off, however, and play a solid game, finishing with 29 saves, though the Capitals were ultimately unable to beat the Rangers in the final period, losing Game 7.

After his impressive playoff performances as a rookie, Holtby was rewarded with the starting goaltender's job for the 2012–13 season, as named by Washington's new head coach, Adam Oates. On February 25, 2013, just over a month after the lockout-shortened season commenced, Holtby agreed to a two-year, $3.7 million contract extension with the Capitals.

On April 8, 2015, Holtby shut-out the Boston Bruins, 3–0, and having already shut-out Boston in his previous two games in the 2014–15 season, he became the first goaltender to ever perform a season-sweep of three or more games against Boston without a single goal allowed. This victory would also give him 41 wins on the season, tying him with Olaf Kölzig for most in a single season in Capitals history.[11] On May 4, 2015, Holtby shut-out the New York Rangers, 1–0, to capture a 2–1 playoff lead in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals. The Capitals lost the series to the New York Rangers 2–1 in overtime in a game 7 at Madison Square Garden.

Following the 2014–15 NHL season Holtby became a restricted free agent under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Washington Capitals made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights and, on July 5, 2015, Holtby filed for Salary Arbitration.[12] On July 24, it was announced by the team that Holtby had signed a 5-year, $30.5 million contract.[13] On April 9, 2016, the Capitals defeated the St. Louis Blues 5-1, earning Holtby his 48th win of the season (four of which came via shootouts) and tying him with Martin Brodeur for the most wins in a single season record. He achieved the mark with 66 game starts throughout the 2015–16 NHL season.[14]

Holtby won the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's best goaltender, in 2016.

Personal life

Holtby and his wife Brandi have a son, Benjamin (born May 10, 2012),[15] and a daughter, Belle (born May 29, 2014).[16]

Holtby was born in Lloydminster, Saskatchewan, but was raised in Marshall, Saskatchewan.

Career statistics

Regular season

   
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SA SO GAA SV%
2005–06 Saskatoon Blades WHL 1 0 1 0 59 4 53 0 4.07 .925
2006–07 Saskatoon Blades WHL 51 17 29 3 2725 146 1394 0 3.21 .895
2007–08 Saskatoon Blades WHL 64 25 29 8 3632 172 1875 1 2.84 .908
2008–09 Saskatoon Blades WHL 61 40 16 4 3571 156 1732 6 2.62 .910
2009–10 South Carolina Stingrays ECHL 12 7 2 3 712 35 392 0 2.95 .911
2009–10 Hershey Bears AHL 37 25 8 2 2146 83 1000 2 2.32 .917
2010–11 Hershey Bears AHL 30 17 10 2 1785 68 777 5 2.29 .920
2010–11 Washington Capitals NHL 14 10 2 2 735 22 332 2 1.79 .934
2011–12 Hershey Bears AHL 40 20 15 2 2322 101 975 3 2.61 .906
2011–12 Washington Capitals NHL 7 4 2 1 361 15 192 1 2.49 .922
2012–13 Washington Capitals NHL 36 23 12 1 2089 90 1123 4 2.58 .920
2013–14 Washington Capitals NHL 48 23 15 4 2656 126 1475 4 2.85 .915
2014–15 Washington Capitals NHL 73 41 20 10 4247 157 2044 9 2.22 .923
2015–16 Washington Capitals NHL 66 48 9 7 3841 141 1802 3 2.20 .922
NHL totals 244 149 60 25 13,930 551 6968 23 2.37 .921
AHL totals 107 62 32 6 6253 252 2820 10 2.36 .918
WHL totals 177 82 75 15 9987 478 5054 7 2.87 .905

Playoffs

   
Season Team League GP W L MIN GA SA SO GAA SV%
2008–09 Saskatoon Blades WHL 8 3 4 414 16 181 0 2.32 .912
2009–10 Hershey Bears AHL 3 2 1 200 12 84 0 3.60 .857
2011–12 Washington Capitals NHL 14 7 7 922 30 459 0 1.95 .935
2012–13 Washington Capitals NHL 7 3 4 433 16 205 1 2.22 .922
2014–15 Washington Capitals NHL 13 6 7 806 23 412 1 1.71 .944
2015–16 Washington Capitals NHL 12 6 6 732 21 365 2 1.72 .942
NHL totals 46 22 24 2892 90 1439 4 1.87 .937

Awards and honors

Awards Year
NHL
NHL All-Star Game 2016
Vezina Trophy 2016
NHL First All-Star Team 2016
International
World Cup of Hockey 2016

References

  1. ↑ "Capitals Recall Braden Holtby, Assign Michal Neuvirth to Hershey". Washington Capitals. January 31, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  2. ↑ Carrera, Katie (June 11, 2010). "Washington Capitals beat Boston Bruins, 5–3, after blowing three-goal lead". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 11, 2010.
  3. ↑ "Green's OT winner makes Capitals G Braden Holtby a winner in his first NHL Bruins rock start". The Hockey News. July 11, 2010. Retrieved November 19, 2010.
  4. ↑ "Ovechkin's three points help Caps blank Oilers". TSN. March 9, 2011. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Caps' Holtby tops 'Three Stars' of the week". NHL.com. March 14, 2011. Retrieved March 14, 2011.
  6. ↑ "Caps send Holtby back to Hershey". Toronto Sun. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Braden Holtby makes 35 saves to help Caps down Rangers". ESPN. Associated Press. April 7, 2012. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  8. ↑ Golen, Jimmy (April 12, 2012). "Kelly ends it in overtime as Bruins beat Caps 1-0". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  9. ↑ Golen, Jimmy (April 14, 2012). "Backstrom gives Caps 2-1 win over Bruins in 2OT". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  10. ↑ Stephen Whyno (May 7, 2012). "Caps lose lead in final 7 seconds, fall early in OT". The Washington Times.
  11. ↑ Valentine, Harvey. "Holtby Blanks Bruins Again, Capitals Win 3-0". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 9, 2015.
  12. ↑ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=773987[]
  13. ↑ http://capitalstoday.monumentalnetwork.com/2015/07/24/capitals-re-sign-braden-holtby
  14. ↑ Isabelle Khurshudyan (April 9, 2016). "Braden Holtby ties wins record, Alex Ovechkin nets hat trick for 50 goals, and Caps top Blues". The Washington Post.
  15. ↑ "Braden Holtby's fiancee gives birth to a baby boy". The Washington Post. May 12, 2012.
  16. ↑ "Braden Holtby, Wife Have Second Child, Belle Scarlett Holtby". Russian Machine Never Breaks. Retrieved May 29, 2014.

External links

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Carey Price		 Winner of the Vezina Trophy
2016 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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