At the beginning and midway point of every season, The Hockey Writers put together lists of the top 10 players for each position, as well as coaches. It goes without saying that it is a very tough list to do given how subjective it is, but nevertheless, we are going to take another shot at it, this time at the midway mark of the 2025-26 season.
These lists are combination of how goalies have fared throughout their respective careers, though their performance through the first half of the 2025-26 season plays a big factor. While the top-tier names always seem to stay in place, there are always newcomers who seem to earn spots on this list. That has once been the case here again. With that said, here are the top 10 goalies in the NHL at the midway mark of the 2025-26 season.
10. Karel Vejmelka
After a career-high 58 appearances in the 2025-26 season, the Utah Mammoth are continuing to rely heavily on Karel Vejmelka. The 29-year-old has appeared in 42 of the Mammoth’s 55 games this season, putting up a record of 25-14-2.
A deep dive into Vejmelka’s numbers show just how solid he’s been for the Mammoth. His 26.29 goals saved above expected (GSAx) rank sixth amongst all NHL netminders this season. It may not be enough to get him in the Vezina Trophy conversation, but it has been huge for a Mammoth team that is in a tightly-contested playoff race.
9. Jake Oettinger
The Dallas Stars have been one of the NHL’s best teams this season, and Jake Oettinger has played a big part in that. The 27-year-old has appeared in 35 games, putting together a 21-10-4 record. That said, he isn’t having as good of a season from a statistical standpoint as you may think.
Oettinger has a 2.69 goals against average (GAA) along with a .900 save percentage (SV%). Those numbers are very pedestrian for his standards, as is his 13 GSAx. Nonetheless, he’s giving the Stars a chance to win almost every time he’s in between the pipes, which everyone has come to expect.
8. Jeremy Swayman
After a very disappointing 2024-25 season, Jeremy Swayman has bounced back like most expected. The 27-year-old has helped keep the Boston Bruins alive in the playoff race, as he’s compiled a 2.89 GAA along with a .903 SV% through 38 games. Those aren’t the elite numbers we’ve seen from Swayman in the past, though it is a significant improvement from what we saw a season ago.
Other Positional Rankings
Perhaps the true indicator of how good Swayman has been this season is shown by his 29.93 GSAx. That is fourth amongst all goalies, and has been a blessing for a Bruins team that many thought may struggle throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
7. Connor Hellebuyck
It’s been a down season for Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets. Hellebuyck, who won the Hart Trophy along with the Vezina in 2024-25, has a disappointing 2.75 GAA along with a .901 SV%. Those middling stats are a big reason as to why the Jets went from winning the Presidents’ Trophy to being in the draft-lottery mix.
If anything, this down season from Hellebuyck shows just how crucial he is to the Jets’ success. When he isn’t at his best, this team doesn’t have enough of a supporting cast to keep them in the playoff hunt. All that said, however, Hellebuyck does still have a respectable 20.13 GSAx on the season.
6. Scott Wedgewood
This spot could have gone to either Scott Wedgewood or MacKenzie Blackwood, but we’ve elected to go with the former given that he’s appeared in more games. Wedgewood, who has never played more than 32 games in an NHL season, is already up to 31 in 2025-26. Plenty of those starts came in the early going as Blackwood missed the start of the season due to injury.
Playing behind an elite Colorado Avalanche team hasn’t hurt, but Wedgewood has been huge for them. The 30-year-old has racked up an incredible 20-4-5 record on the season, while putting up a 2.30 GAA and a .912 SV%.
5. Spencer Knight
It’s taken some time, but Spencer Knight is beginning to show why he was selected 14th overall in 2019. The 24-year-old goaltender has been thrust into a starting role since being acquired by the Chicago Blackhawks part way through the 2024-25 campaign, and has excelled in that role this season.
Knight has appeared in 38 games for the Blackhawks, and sits fifth amongst all goalies with a GSAx of 27.89. Making it all the more impressive is that he’s been able to maintain these numbers on a Blackhawks team that has largely disappointed, going 22-25-9 through their first 56 games.
4. Igor Shesterkin
It’s been a season to forget for the New York Rangers, though not to the fault of their starting goalie. Igor Shesterkin, who has been sidelined since early January, was having a strong season despite his team’s struggles. The Rangers have won just two of the 12 games that he’s missed.
Shesterkin, widely regarded as one of the best goalies on the planet, sits fourth amongst all NHL goalies with a goals saved above average (GSAA) of 16.15. His 23.37 GSAx, meanwhile, ranks eighth. He had also managed to put together a solid 17-12-4 record which is quite something given that the Rangers currently sit at 22-28-6.
3. Logan Thompson
Logan Thompson is continuing to build on his unexpected NHL career. After going undrafted and spending a season playing college hockey in Canada with Brock University, the 28-year-old has truly established himself as one of the NHL’s top starting goaltenders.
Thompson, who was named to Canada’s Olympic roster in early January, is second amongst his peers with a GSAx of 36.51. Should he continue his strong play down the stretch, there is a very good chance that he will be named a Vezina Trophy finalist for the first time in his career.
2. Ilya Sorokin
The New York Islanders have been one of the NHL’s most pleasant surprises this season, and their starting goalie is a big reason why. After two straight disappointing seasons, Ilya Sorokin has once again become one of the best netminders in the league.
Sorokin has appeared in 33 games for the Isles this season, compiling a 2.44 GAA and a .916 SV%. Even better is his league-best 43.87 GSAx. The 2022-23 Vezina Trophy runner up has a chance to win the prestigious award for the first time in his career should he keep this play going.
1. Andrei Vasilevskiy
Seeing Andrei Vasilevskiy’s name at the top of this list should come as no surprise. The future Hall of Famer is having one of the best seasons of his career, and, at the age of 31, is showing zero signs of slowing down anytime soon.
Vasilevskiy sports a 2.09 GAA and a .919 SV% through 35 appearances, while his 36.51 GSAx is second to only Sorokin. The Russian netminder is in strong position to pick up his second career Vezina Trophy, but has his sights set instead on winning his third Stanley Cup later this year.
