Chris Driedger


Chris Driedger is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. Driedger was selected by the Ottawa Senators in the third round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and previously played in the NHL with the Senators.

Playing career

Driedger played the 2010–11 season with the Tri-City Americans, before being acquired by the Calgary Hitmen in an off-season trade prior to the start of the 2011–12 season. In his first season with the Hitmen, his outstanding play was recognized when he was invited to play in the 2012 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game.
Drafted in the third round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators, Driedger continued to play with the Calgary Hitmen though to the end of the 2013–14 season. During his final season in the WHL, on February 1, 2014, Driedger was the last member of the Calgary Hitmen to play the puck before it was inadvertently put into the empty net of the Kootenay Ice, becoming the sixth goaltender in WHL history, and the first in the Hitmen franchise history, to be credited with scoring a goal. He also became the Hitmen's all-time saves leader, surpassing Martin Jones mark of 3,374 saves. Driedger completed his major junior career with 170 regular-season WHL games played and a win-loss-tie record of 94–46–15 including eight shutouts.
On April 1, 2014, the Ottawa Senators signed Driedger to a three-year entry-level contract. On March 26, 2015, Driedger made his NHL debut with Ottawa, entering a game against the New York Rangers.
After five seasons within the Senators organization, Driedger was released as a free agent. On July 3, 2018, he agreed to a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds, the primary affiliate to the Florida Panthers. In the 2018–19 season, Driedger initially split his time between the Thunderbirds and Manchester Monarchs of the ECHL, before solidifying his role in the AHL. He made 16 appearances with Springfield before he was signed to a two-way NHL contract with the Florida Panthers for the remainder of the season on February 24, 2019. On April 30, 2019, Driedger signed a two-year contract extension with the Panthers. Towards the beginning of the 2019–20 season, on November 30, 2019, Driedger made his first career start against the Nashville Predators, in which he recorded a 27 save, 3–0 shutout win.

Career statistics

Awards and honours