2026 NHL Draft prospect Xavier Wendt scores goalie goal
Goalie goals are rare – but they’re always highly entertaining.
On Wednesday night, Tri-City Americans goaltender Xavier Wendt scored a goal and recorded a 23-save shutout to beat the Swift Current Broncos 4-0 in WHL action.
Wendt became the 11th goalie in WHL history to score a goal, and the first since Dawson Cowan did so with the Spokane Chiefs in 2023. Former NHLer Olaf Kolzig was the first goalie to pull it off, doing so with Tri-City back on Nov. 29, 1989.
2026 #NHLDraft goalie prospect Xavier Wendt scored a goal and got a shutout in the same night. https://t.co/aw3ho5xRDh
— Steven Ellis (@SEllisHockey) December 4, 2025Crew Martinson and Connor Dale each scored for the Americans in the first period, with Gavin Garland making it 3-0 at 53:22. Then, with exactly one minute left on the clock, Wendt went behind his net and scored on the empty cage at the opposite end to finish the game. Wendt made 23 saves for the first shutout of his career.
Wendt has a 9-5-0 record with a .928 save percentage in his first year with the Americans. Prior to starting his major junior career, the Plymouth, Minnesota native spent three years with the famed Shattuck St. Mary’s prep program.
It was there where Wendt posted a 24-0-1 record with seven shutouts and a .932 save percentage with the U-18 team last season, and a 19-0-2 run the previous year with the U-15 team.
Wendt is eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft, receiving a “W” rating from NHL Central Scouting earlier this year (projected as a sixth or seventh-round candidate).
Full list of WHL goalie goals (information via the WHL):
Olaf Kolzig, Tri-City Americans – November 29, 1989 (vs Seattle)
Chris Osgood, Medicine Hat Tigers – January 3, 1991 (vs Swift Current)
Jeff Calvert, Tacoma Rockets – December 29, 1992 (vs Moose Jaw)
Jason Clague, Red Deer Rebels – March 28, 1994 (vs Lethbridge)
Jordan McLaughlin, Prince George Cougars – March 5, 2003 (vs Vancouver)
Chris Driedger, Calgary Hitmen – February 1, 2014 (vs Kootenay)
Stuart Skinner, Lethbridge Hurricanes – March 18, 2016 (vs Red Deer)
Ian Scott, Prince Albert Raiders – November 16, 2018 (vs Tri-City)
Lukas Parik, Spokane Chiefs – March 10, 2020 (vs Kamloops)
Dawson Cowan, Spokane Chiefs – November 26, 2023 (vs Portland)