Jett Alexander (born November 8, 1999) is a Canadian amateur

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey in North America) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. Tw ...

player. He made his

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...

debut on April 8, 2023, for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. The Maple Leafs compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the A ...

after substituting for

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as goalie or netminder) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their own team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays ...

Ilya Samsonov Ilya Alexeyevich Samsonov (, ; born 22 February 1997) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Growing up in Magnitogorsk, Russia, Samsonov made his Kontinental Hockey Lea ...

with 1:10 remaining in the third period against the

Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens (), officially ' ( Canadian Hockey Club) and colloquially known as the Habs, are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal. The Canadiens compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic D ...

. Alexander currently plays for the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

Varsity Blues men's hockey team. After the game with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Alexander mentioned in a post game interview that having his friend in the stands, Ross Krieger, meant more to him than fulfilling his dream of playing in the National Hockey League (NHL).

Biography

Jett Alexander was born in Bloomfield, Ontario on November 8, 1999. He is currently

double majoring A joint honours degree (also known as dual honours, double majors, or two-subject moderatorship) is a specific type of degree offered generally at the Honours Bachelor's degree level by certain universities in Ireland, the UK, Canada, Malta, an ...

in English and environmental science at the

Playing career

Early career

Alexander began his junior career in the 2015–2016 season with the

North York Rangers The North York Rangers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team located in the North York district of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of the South Division of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) and were previously a part of the M ...

in the

Ontario Junior Hockey League The Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league in Ontario, Canada. It is under the supervision of the Ontario Hockey Association (OHA) and the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL). The league dates back to 1954 where i ...

(OHJL). During the 2018–2019 season, his last with the team, he broke a league record for

shutout In team sports, a shutout (North American English, US) or clean sheet (Commonwealth English, UK) is a game in which the losing team fails to score. While possible in most major sports, they are highly improbable in some sports, such as basketba ...

s with ten and finished with a save percentage of .945. Alexander was named the OJHL's top goaltender and

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

, and the CJHL's top goaltender. The OJHL also awarded him the Goaltender of the Year Award. He spent the 2019–2020 season with the

Prince George Spruce Kings The Prince George Spruce Kings are a junior ice hockey team based in Prince George, British Columbia, Canada. They are members of the Interior Division of the British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL). They play their home games at the Kopar Memor ...

of the British Columbia Junior Hockey League.

U Sports

Alexander committed to the

University of Toronto Varsity Blues The Toronto Varsity Blues are the intercollegiate sports program at the University of Toronto. Its 43 athletic teams regularly participate in competitions held by Ontario University Athletics and U Sports. The Varsity Blues trace their foundin ...

' men's hockey team in May 2020 for the 2020–2021 season, which was ultimately cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. For the 2021—2022 shortened season, Alexander played as backup for goaltender Alex Bishop. He played in two OUA games, starting in one of them, and overall achieved a .880 save percentage. The following, 2022–2023 season, Alexander took on the role as starting goaltender, playing in twenty-two regular season games. He achieved a .927 save percentage and earned his team a second-straight playoff berth. During the post-season, he and the Varsity Blues defeated the TMU Bold in the first round 2–1, but succumbed to the

Lakehead Thunderwolves The Lakehead Thunderwolves are the U Sports varsity athletic teams that represent Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. Overview The Lakehead Thunderwolves are perennial powers in the OUA and U Sports in Nordic Skiing and wrest ...

1–2 in round two, earning a .918 save percentage for both rounds.

National Hockey League

On December 2, 2021, Alexander signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the

Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. The Avalanche compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Con ...

to serve as an emergency backup for goaltender Jonas Johansson against the

as starting goaltender Darcy Kuemper was out with an upper-body injury. He held the role for the duration of the first period until

Colorado Eagles The Colorado Eagles are a professional ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League. The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hockey League and ...

goaltender Justus Annunen made it to

Scotiabank Arena Scotiabank Arena (SBA), formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and t ...

. On April 8, 2023, Alexander signed an ATO with the

to back up starting goaltender

in their game against the

as goaltender Matt Murray could not play due to a head injury. With one minute and ten seconds remaining in the third period, and Toronto leading 7–1, Alexander was substituted in place of Samsonov. He faced zero shots.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alexander, Jett 1999 births Living people Canadian ice hockey goaltenders People from Prince Edward County, Ontario Prince George Spruce Kings players Toronto Maple Leafs players Toronto Varsity Blues ice hockey players Undrafted National Hockey League players 21st-century Canadian sportsmen