67's' Ryder Fetterolf Named OHL Goaltender of the Year
Published on April 17, 2026 under Ontario Hockey League (OHL) News Release
TORONTO - The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) today announced that first-year Ottawa 67's netminder Ryder Fetterolf is this year's recipient of the Jim Rutherford Trophy, presented annually to the OHL Goaltender of the Year as voted by the League's General Managers.
Signed as an undrafted free agent by the 67's last summer, Fetterolf quickly became a force in the Ottawa crease, going 29-9-2-1, setting a new franchise record with a 2.07 goals-against average along with a league-best .923 save percentage. His six shutouts set a new OHL record, the most by a rookie goaltender in a single season.
"It's a huge honour," said Fetterolf. "I owe a lot to our coaching staff, especially my goalie coach, Andrew Mercer. Everyone in this organization has supported me and pushed me every step of the way. There's been a lot of hard work behind the scenes to get here, and I'm really grateful to everyone who believed in and supported me this season."
Fetterolf earned OHL Rookie of the Month recognition in October, and later claimed top rookie and goaltender honours for the month of March. He becomes the first American goaltender to earn the Jim Rutherford Trophy since Alex Nedeljkovic of the Plymouth Whalers in 2013-14. It also marks the first time a rookie goaltender in his first two years of eligibility has won OHL Goaltender of the Year honours.
"We're very proud of Ryder and what this honour represents," said 67's General Manager Jan Egert. "Ryder's performance gives the team in front of him confidence, which has been an important part of our success. We're proud of the growth he's shown this season, given the investments he and Goaltending Coach Andrew Mercer made throughout the year."
An 18-year-old from Sewickley, Pennsylvania, Fetterolf came to the OHL out of Gilmour Academy, based in Gates Mills, Ohio. The 6-foot, 186Ib. puckstopper is the OHL's top draft eligible netminder according to NHL Central Scouting's final rankings, which list him as the 11th-ranked North American netminder.
Fetterolf is just the second 67's goaltender to earn the award since it was first introduced in 1987-88, following Craig Hillier 30 years ago in 1995-96. Recent winners have included Jackson Parsons of the Kitchener Rangers (2024-25), Jacob Oster of the Oshawa Generals (2023-24) and Domenic DiVincentiis of the North Bay Battalion (2022-23).
Announced in August 2019, the Jim Rutherford Trophy is presented by the League in honour of former OHL goaltender, General Manager, Chairman of the Board and two-time Executive of the Year Jim Rutherford. The current President of Hockey Operations of the Vancouver Canucks, Rutherford played 13 seasons as an NHL netminder and was the architect behind Stanley Cup championships for the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006 and Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in November 2019.
Fetterolf was the front-runner in this year's award voting, followed by a group of finalists that consists of Flint's Mason Vaccari, Peterborough's Easton Rye, Sault Ste. Marie's Carter George and Windsor's Joey Costanzo.
Fetterolf will be formally recognized as the OHL Goaltender of the Year at the 2026 OHL Awards ceremony to be held at The Hockey Hall of Fame in June.
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