If Ryder Fetterolf is leaving the Ottawa 67's, it's going to be with his hands full. On Monday, the 18-year-old Pennsylvanian became the first puck-stopper in team history to be named the Canadian Hockey League's Goaltender of the Year.
Fetterolf, who guided the 67's to a 100-point season with a 29-9-3 record, 2.07 goals against average and .923 save percentage, was named the Ontario Hockey League's Goaltender of the Year in April.
"I'm extremely honoured to receive this award," said Fetterolf. "I am very thankful to everyone who helped me get to this point, including my family, coaches, teammates, and everyone at the 67's organization. Coming to Ottawa was an incredible experience, and I was fortunate to play alongside a group that worked hard every night and gave me every opportunity to succeed."
Fetterolf is only the second rookie goaltender to earn the honour, and the first since Martin Biron accomplished the feat with the Beauport Harfangs in 1994-95. He is also just the third American-born goaltender to receive this award, joining Michael Houser of the London Knights (2011-12) and Dustin Wolf of the Everett Silvertips (2019-20).
"Ryder's success comes as no surprise to anyone who worked with him this season," said 67's goalie coach Andrew Mercer. "He's a committed athlete who constantly looks for ways to improve and embraces the work needed to become an elite goaltender. Watching his development over the year has been incredible, and I'm very proud of him."
What's next for Fetterolf?
That's the proverbial $64,000 question. Fetterolf, who joined the 67's last fall as a free agent walk-on, has committed to play NCAA Division 1 hockey at Penn State University next season. But when Ottawa players cleaned out their lockers after their playoff run ended, he also said: "I don't want to set anything in stone yet."
At the time, he suggested he would wait until after the June 27th NHL draft to make a decision. Central Scouting had the 5-foot-11, 184-pounder in the No. 11 spot on its final rankings of North American goalies. No other goalie among the Top 23 on the list is under six feet.
"I think it definitely depends on if I get drafted and where I go," Fetterolf told Postmedia at the time. "I think some teams do have a preference for not rushing development. Goalies do develop later, and they take longer. So yeah, I think, where I go in the draft could definitely determine whether I come back or I go to Penn State. I think some (NHL) teams (would) want me to get more games, and obviously, college has a smaller schedule, so it's harder to get that volume of games. I think it definitely could come down to that as well."
