The ECHL has announced that Wheeling Nailers goaltender Taylor Gauthier has been selected as the winner of the Nick Vitucci ECHL Goaltender of the Year Award.
Gauthier, 23, adds more hardware to his collection this season, after being named to the All-ECHL First Team and matching a league record by being chosen as ECHL Goaltender of the Week four times. The Nick Vitucci Goaltender of the Year Award is presented annually to the goaltender selected to be the best at his position as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media members.
Taylor was at or near the top of all ECHL goaltending statistics for the majority of the season. He finished the year with a league-leading .923 save percentage, tied for first in the circuit with four shutouts, second in the ECHL with a 2.23 goals against average, and fourth in the league with 24 wins.
In addition to his dominance at the league level, Gauthier also delivered one of the best seasons for a netminder in Wheeling hockey history. His 24 wins and four shutouts were both tied for the fourth most in a single season in club history, his 2.23 goals against average ranked fourth all-time for a single season, and his .923 save percentage was the sixth highest mark ever in one year. The Calgary, Alberta native was between the pipes for 63.2% of the team’s wins this season – the largest percentage since Andy Franck earned 84.4% of the club’s victories in 2006-07.
Taylor Gauthier is making history with this recognition, as he becomes the first Wheeling netminder ever to win ECHL Goaltender of the Year. He is the first Nailer to win an ECHL award since Mathew Maione was chosen as ECHL Defenseman of the Year in 2015-16.
Following Gauthier in the voting order for the Nick Vitucci Goaltender of the Year Award were Jacksonville’s Matt Vernon, Florida’s Cam Johnson, Kalamazoo’s Hunter Vorva, and Greenville’s Jacob Ingham.
