Prince George Cougars netminder Joshua Ravensbergen has been named WHL Goaltender of the Week for the week ending Sunday, December 29, 2024, the Western Hockey League announced Monday.
The 18-year-old led all starting goalies with a 2-0-0-0 record, a .96 goals-against average and a .970 save percentage in back-to-back road wins.
Ravensbergen got the call in Prince George’s first post-holiday break match against the Victoria Royals on Vancouver Island.
The 6-foot-5, 192-pound netminder made 28 saves on 29 shots in a hard-fought 2-1 shootout victory on December 27. Ravensbergen turned aside several breakaway opportunities and odd-man rushes, including a highlight-reel stop on upstart rookie Keaton Verhoeff in overtime. He also denied all three opponents in the shootout- including Verhoeff again- to seal the victory and pick up first-star honours.
But the projected top 2025 NHL Draft pick was just warming up. While Victoria would take a 1-0 lead in the first period in the rematch the following night, Ravensbergen shut the door from there with a monster 37 saves. One of his finest efforts came with a pad save on Markus Loponen’s shot from the slot combined with a sliding stop to stuff Reggie Newman. The Cougars held the Royals scoreless on five powerplay opportunities and Ravensbergen was named first star again in the 2-1 regulation win. His 37 saves mark his second-busiest night of the season.
The 2024 B.C. Division Second Team All-Star is 18-4-3-1 in his sophomore season with a 2.89 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. He’s tied for the most wins in the league while ranking eighth in GAA and save percentage and sixth in shots faced.
The North Vancouver, B.C. product earned an ‘A’ rating from NHL Central Scouting in the agency’s preliminary player list ahead of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
He recently made 15 saves and recorded an assist for Team CHL in a 6-1 win over the U.S. National Team Development Program in November’s CHL USA Prospects Challenge, a new event highlighting some of the top draft-eligible talent.
Ravensbergen, who made the Cougars as an undrafted free agent, owns a career record of 44-8-4-2 with a 2.65 goals-against average, a .906 save percentage and six shutouts.
Prince George (20-9-3-2) has won four straight games to remain first in the B.C. Division and second in the overall standings.
They’ll head south to take on the Seattle Thunderbirds (11-21-2-1) in a New Year’s Eve showdown at 6:05 p.m. PST.