Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck is the 2019-20 recipient of the Vezina Trophy, which is awarded "to the goaltender adjudged to be the best at his position".

Hellebuyck is the first goaltender in Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise history to capture the award after he finished as the runner-up in the 2017-18 season.

Hellebuyck backstopped the Jets to a place in the Western Conference Stanley Cup Qualifiers and lead all goaltenders in games (t-58), shots faced (1,796), saves (1,656), and shutouts (6) during the season.

The 27-year-old Commerce, Michigan native ranked second overall in starts (56), wins (31), and minutes (3,268:33).

Hellebuyck recorded 31 of the 37 Jets wins (83.8%), the second-highest percentage among goaltenders on the 24 teams that qualified for the NHL postseason.

Tuukka Rask of the Boston Bruins and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning were the other two finalists for the Vezina Trophy.

Hellebuyck is the third player in franchise history to win one of the NHL's individual awards. He joins Dany Heatley, who won the Calder Memorial Trophy in 2001-02, and Ilya Kovalchuk, who won the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy in 2003-04.

Several players also won individual NHL awards for the Winnipeg Jets 1.0: Dale Hawerchuk (1981-82) and Teemu Selanne (1992-93) won the Calder Trophy and Kris King (1995-96) won the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Two Jets 1.0 coaches also won the Jack Adams Award: Tom Watt (1981-82) and Bob Murdoch (1989-90).

 
photo courtesy Ray Peters