Goaltending can make or break a hockey team. After losing star netminder Michael Hrabal to the NHL last spring, UMass hockey fans had every reason to worry about the state of the team’s goaltending heading into the 2026-27 season.
Enter Ethan Eskit.
The freshman puck-stopper from Calgary, Alberta has emerged as a steady option for the Minutemen and sports one of the best save percentages in the country a little over a month into the season.
Eskit currently holds a .952 save percentage, which puts the 6-foot, 190-pounder third-best in the NCAA and first in terms of freshman goalies.
Against Maine this past weekend in Orono, Eskit turned aside 88 of 91 shots-faced versus the Black Bears in UMass’ split, earning No. 32 Hockey East Goaltender of the Week honors.
“I think it’s a big confidence boost but at the same time we split Maine, so there’s definitely room for growth,” Eskit said.
Oddly enough, despite the sparkling stats, Eskit actually has more losses than wins to his name at 3-4-1.
With that, freshman Tobias Trejbal and senior Jackson Irving have stepped in intermittenly this year as each goalie has started twice and won the most recent game they started. Trejbal played in UMass’ 5-3 win against Stonehill on Oct. 24 while Irving was between the pipes for its 4-2 victory over Harvard on Oct. 30.
Altogether, the Minutemen boast a .931 team save percentage, good for 10th best in the nation.
“Beyond satisfied,” UMass head coach Greg Carvel said when asked about the state of the team’s goaltending. “I think [Eskit] leads the country in save percentage, [Irving] came in and won a game and [Trejbal] won a game. “
Carvel added he planned to have Trejbal play in the second game against Maine, but the 2026 Calgary Flames draft pick wasn’t able to play due to contracting the flu, which several other players were dealing with as well.
“Goaltending has been the highlight of our season so far,” Carvel said.
Eskit didn’t carry as much prestige entering the Minutemen program during preseason as the undrafted of the two freshman goalies, however the 20-year-old established himself as a reliable goalie in the WHL durig the prior three seasons.
With the Victoria Royals last season, Eskit went 22-21-9 and totaled a .904 save percentage in 53 games played, more than double his previous high of 25 games played.
“I would say the intensity and the compete level,” Eskit said when asked about the differences he’s noticed between major junior and college hockey. “Obviously, half the regular-season games so there’s a lot more on the line. You can’t afford to lose many games. I just think being an older league where guys are really desperate and doing everything they can every night, that compete is that much higher.”
Boston College (2-5-2), UMass’ next opponent, hasn’t fared well in the goaltending department early on this season as it has managed the fourth-worst team save percentage in the country at .867.
Sophomore Luka Cloutier has seen the bulk of the action in net for the Eagles, accumulating a 2-3-2 record, yet only has a .895 save percentage.
The Minutemen are 2-3 in their last five meetings with BC, including a 2-1 win on March 5 in the most recent installment.
UMass (5-5-1) will host the Eagles first on Friday before traveling to Chestnut Hill the following night.
Puck drop for both games is set for 7 p.m.
