Jake Oettinger

Jakob Oettinger ( ; born December 18, 1998), nicknamed Otter or Phenomenotter, is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for Boston University during his collegiate career. After being part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program, he was widely considered as a top prospect for the 2017 NHL entry draft. The Dallas Stars selected Oettinger in the first round, 26th overall, of the 2017 NHL entry draft.

Early life

Oettinger was born on December 18, 1998, in Lakeville, Minnesota, to Kateri and Chris Oettinger. Growing up, Oettinger looked up to Henrik Lundqvist, who inspired him to play goalie. He attended Lakeville North High School, where he "accelerated his academics," graduating from high school in little over two years. He enrolled in the Boston University College of Communication.

Playing career

After spending his freshman year at Lakeville North High School, Oettinger committed to the USA Hockey National Team Development Program (USNTDP) Juniors for the 2014–15 season. Oettinger played two seasons with the USNTDP Juniors while committing to Boston University. He was drafted in the first round, 26th overall, of the 2017 NHL entry draft by the Dallas Stars.

Collegiate

During his freshman season at Boston University, Oettinger posted a 2.11 goals-against average and .927 save-percentage. During that season, Oettinger was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Month for the month of October, was a two-time Hockey East Rookie of the Week, a two-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week and was named Hockey East Top Performer four times. Thus, he was named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team and Hockey East Second Team All-Star at the end of the year. During his second season at Boston University, Oettinger was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team of the 2018 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament and earned the William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player award after he helped Boston win their ninth Hockey East Tournament title. Prior to the 2018–19 season, Oettinger was named an alternate captain for the Terriers, along with Chad Krys.

Professional

On March 25, 2019, Oettinger signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Dallas Stars and was assigned to their AHL affiliate, the Texas Stars, on an amateur tryout contract. Upon joining the Texas Stars, Oettinger recorded a .897 save percentage and a 3.34 goals-against average in his first eight games. On March 3, 2020, he earned his first NHL call up as Ben Bishop dealt with a lower-body injury. He served as Anton Khudobin's backup during the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. On September 8, 2020, he made his NHL debut in relief of Khudobin in the third period of the second game of the 2020 Western Conference finals against the Vegas Golden Knights. With Bishop remaining unavailable during the following 2020–21 season, Oettinger became the Stars' backup goaltender to Khudobin, making his regular season debut in a January 28, 2021, victory over the Detroit Red Wings. Over the course of the season he made 24 starts and appeared in relief a further 5 times, gradually edging ahead of Khudobin as the team's starting goaltender. He finished with a .911 save percentage.

Oettinger began the 2021–22 season playing in the AHL, appearing in 10 games with a 4–5–2 record. However, he was soon called up to play in the NHL again, with injury plaguing the team's other goaltenders. He became the starter on arrival, and earned a 30–15–1 record with a .914 save percentage in the regular season, credited as a key factor in the Stars qualifying for the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Stars earned the final wildcard berth and drew the Calgary Flames in the first round, a matchup where they were considered underdogs. However, the series proved far more competitive than expected, a fact that was widely attributed to Oettinger, who was dubbed "bar none, the first star of the first round" by ''The Hockey News''. Oettinger led all goaltenders in the first round with a .954 save percentage, also the second-highest in the history of the Stars, behind only Ed Belfour in the 1998 second round. The climax came in game seven, where the Stars took the game to overtime despite the Flames making twice as many shots and attempts as the Stars, with Oettinger recording 64 saves, the second-highest in playoff history behind only Kelly Hrudey's 73 during the 1987 Easter Epic. The Stars were eliminated when Flames forward Johnny Gaudreau finally scored in overtime to end the game 3–2, with Oettinger commenting afterward that he felt he was "just scratching the surface of where I'm going to be one day."

On September 1, 2022, Oettinger signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Stars. He began the 2022–23 season impressively, with a 5–1–0 record and a .960 save percentage over those games, before exiting an October 29 game against the New York Rangers with an unspecified lower-body injury. He returned to the Stars' active roster two weeks later. He finished that season with a 37–11–11 record and .919 save percentage. He posted his second career shutout during the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs in game five against the Minnesota Wild. The team went on to beat them in game six, moving onto the second round with a 4–1 victory. The Stars advanced to the conference finals after beating the Seattle Kraken in a seven-game series. Their season came to end after losing in a six game series against the Vegas Golden Knights. Oettinger finished that playoffs with a 10–9—0 record, .895 save percentage and a goals-against average of 3.06. Following the team's playoff exit, Oettinger required off-season surgery on his ankle.

Oettinger struggled early on in the 2023–24 NHL season, however, he went 35–14–4 that season and finished with a .905 save percentage and 2.72 goals-against average. He represented the team at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game in Toronto. After losing game one to the Vegas Golden Knights in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, he had gone 8–4 and recorded a save percentage above .940. Oettinger made 22 saves for the Stars and Radek Faksa provided the game-winning goal to send the Stars to the second round with a 2–1 victory. The team beat the Colorado Avalanche in six games, as Oettinger stopped 30 of 31 shots, helping the team advance to the conference finals. However, the Stars lost to the Edmonton Oilers in six games in the conference finals.

Oettinger earned his first shutout in the 2024-25 NHL season, during the Stars home opener against the New York Islanders, winning the game 3–0. On October 17, 2024, he signed an eight-year, $66 million contract extension. He was also selected as one of the United States' goaltenders for the 4 Nations Face-Off. He played one game in the tournament, which resulted in a 2–1 loss against Sweden. He recorded a .913 save percentage and a goals-against average of 2.06. The Stars face the Avalanche in the first round of the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs, beating the team in seven games. They faced the Winnipeg Jets in the following round, winning the series in six games. Through two rounds, he recorded a .918 save percentage. Oettinger was pulled in game five against the Edmonton Oilers of the conference finals after giving up two goals on two shots, as the team went on to the lose the series.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Bold indicates led league

International

Awards and honors

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Oettinger, Jake
1998 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey goaltenders
American people of German descent
Boston University Terriers men's ice hockey players
Dallas Stars draft picks
Dallas Stars players
Ice hockey players from Minnesota
NHL first-round draft picks
Sportspeople from Lakeville, Minnesota
Ice hockey people from Dakota County, Minnesota
Texas Stars players
USA Hockey National Team Development Program players
21st-century American sportsmen
4 Nations Face-Off players