Fort St. John goaltender Gardner signs with Blue Jackets

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — A National Hockey League (NHL) prospect with local roots will begin his career with the Columbus Blue Jackets organization.

Blue Jackets president of hockey operations and general manager Don Waddell announced on Tuesday, March 18th that Fort St. John’s Evan Gardner has signed an entry-level contract with the NHL team, according to the team’s website.

The deal is for three years beginning with the 2025-26 NHL season.

The 19-year-old Gardner was drafted 60th overall in the second round by the team in the 2024 NHL entry draft.

Currently in his second season with the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Saskatoon Blades, Gardner has seen action in 71 career WHL regular season games.  

In 66 starting appearances, he boasts a record of 43 victories against 17 losses, 4 overtime losses and two shutout defeats; his goals against average (GAA) is 2.45 since making his debut with Saskatoon in the 2023-24 season.

Gardner’s playoff record is 10-4 with a 2.33 GAA in 15 appearances in the postseason.

Currently, the Blades are in a tie for second place with the Brandon Wheat Kings in the WHL’s east division, one point behind leader Prince Albert with two pivotal games against teams.

The Blades play the Wheat Kings on Wednesday evening, followed by a home and home series against Prince Albert beginning on Friday, March 21st to end the 2024-25 season.
More details about the announcement is available on the Blue Jacket’s website.