One of Don Waddell's obvious focuses since taking over as GM of the Blue Jackets has been overhauling the team's goaltending. That's tough to do, unless you can draft and develop them. So, he's been drafting them, with one of the more highly touted prospects at the position being Evan Gardner, who will play his first pro season starting this fall.
The top prospects list was compiled by a collective ranking from all of the writers at Union and Blue: Matthew Duffey, Mike Stump, Weston Motz, Struan McNevan, and Curtis Deem. We only include players 24 years and under, with fewer than 25 NHL games. Stats are from the previous season, in the league where each player spent the most time. Projections are based on top-end upside.
Top prospect #10: G Evan Gardner
How we ranked him: Curtis (9), Matthew (11), Mike (9), Weston (11), Struan (10). Evan was ranked #8 on last year's list.
Waddell has taken one goaltender in each of his three drafts at the helm of the Blue Jackets. Gardner was the first. He was taken by the Blue Jackets in the second round (#60 overall) at the 2024 NHL Draft, making him the fourth goaltender taken in the entire draft.
The Jackets clearly coveted him, throwing a 5th round pick to the Carolina Hurricanes to move up 9 spots to ensure they got his rights. At the time, that move made a lot of sense. Now two years later, I still love it.
Gardner quickly became one of the top goaltending prospects in the CBJ system. In his draft eligible campaign, he played with the WHL's Saskatoon Blades; posting a .927% save percentage, 1.91 goals against average and 4 shutouts, en route to a 21-5-0 record.
Since then, his numbers have fallen off a bit as the Blades have returned with less powerful teams. In 2024-25, he went 23-13-5, with a .911%, 2.82 stat line and 3 shutouts. This past season, his numbers fell to 25-16-6, with a .902%-2.96 stat line, along with 3 shutouts.
As a result, he falls a bit on our list. But, we are still very high on the young netminder. In fact, the main reason he falls on this list is the addition of one other prospect, combined with a big breakout year from another (more on them later in this series). Essentially, Evan is right where he was last year.
At 6'1" and 181 pounds, he comes up a bit short of the preferred archetype that teams typically look for in goaltenders. In a word, he's a little undersized. However, it hasn't really held him back to this point. That's due in part to his play style.
Gardner is an athletic goaltender that has quick reflexes, able to push off and rob high danger scoring chances from his opponents. With those attributes, his highlight reels are pretty impressive. Here is one example from his most recent run in the WHL playoffs:
EVAN. FREAKING. GARDNER @BlueJacketsNHL | #FeedingTheFuture | #WHLPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/LPTIg3y8yx
— Saskatoon Blades (@BladesHockey) April 7, 2026
Dazzling saves are the name of his game. Of course, with any prospect, there are areas of his game that need some work. At the top of that list for me is rebound control. This is one byproduct of playing a reflex style game in the crease: there will be rebounds.
Part of correcting that will be improved positioning, so that first save doesn't always have to be spectacular. This is vital at the AHL level, because he's going to be facing better shooters than he was facing in the WHL. Gobbling up that first shot and slowing the game down should be his first developmental task.
Aside from that, there is a lot to like here. Even though he's raw, Evan shows a lot of potential, and he should be considered a big part of this team's developing future. In two or three years, he could be an NHL player.
Pros: agility, athleticism, never-give-up style in the crease
Cons: rebound control, raw positioning
Projection: 1B (split starter), or backup goaltender
I'm not sure I can see Evan Gardner being a full-time starting goaltender for a Stanley Cup contending team. But, I would have said the same thing about Jet Greaves, right up until he broke out last season. So, anything is possible.
More likely, I think Evan could become the future backup for the Blue Jackets, or maybe even a split starting goaltender at some point down the road. This past season, he passed Braden Holtby on the Blades' all-time shutout list. Strangely, Holtby is the closest comp I can come up with for Gardner and his play style. Maybe even his eventual upside.
Holtby won a Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals. It will take some development, but I believe Gardner can become that type of NHL backstop. An elite team in front of him would help. It will take time, but for now, I'm interested to see how he does in his first year with the Cleveland Monsters.
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