Red Wings prospect goaltender Rudy Guimond went on a 16-game winning streak after joining the QMJHL’s Moncton Wildcats last season, and he followed up his regular season unbeaten streak with an 8-and-1 playoff record.
Today, MLive’s Ansar Khan profiles Guimond, who has chosen to return to Moncton for his “overage” 20-year-old season due to both hockey and financial reasons:
Guimond (6-4, 175) went 16–0 with a 1.73 goals-against average, .940 save percentage and three shutouts during the regular season. He was 8-1 in the playoffs, helping the Wildcats win the QMJHL Championship and earn a spot in the Memorial Cup.
“It was really amazing, but it was a testament to the group in front of me, with the D core and almost every guy was drafted,” Guimond said earlier this month at Red Wings development camp. “So, I just had to do my job.”
Guimond didn’t play in the Memorial Cup – the Wildcats went with the more experienced Mathis Rousseau – but he learned from the experience. Moncton lost in the semifinals to London, which won the championship.
“Just how hard it is to win a series like that,” Guimond said. “And obviously in my career, I’ll run into those experiences, and it’ll just make me more prepared for when that comes.”
Guimond will be Moncton’s No. 1 goalie now that Rousseau is done, giving the Red Wings a bigger sample size to evaluate him.
“Pretty incredible statistics when you think about it,” Dan Cleary, Red Wings assistant director of player development, said. “I’m very close with (head coach) Gardiner MacDougall and (general manager) Taylor (MacDougall). Those guys in Moncton did a tremendous job. And their goalie coach (Antoine Samuel), but I think Rudy just got to an environment where he felt comfortable. They embraced him, they helped him, and his game really shines. So, testament to Rudy and the people in Moncton that really saw something.”
Continued (paywall) with an explanation as to how Jimmy Howard’s goal pads influenced Guimond’s developmental path…
