Welcome to another WHL Best of the 2010s feature where we profile the best WHL players from the 2009-10 season all the way to the 2019-20 season. Players are judged based on what they did in each division. This means if a player spent time in multiple divisions, their placement will be judged based on what they did separately while in each division. Don’t forget to vote on our Twitter page, @WHLonA51 to help determine which player will be crowned the best WHL player of the 2010s. We hope you enjoy.
When you think of the top WHL goaltenders of the 2010s, Mac Carruth is a name that has to immediately come to mind.
Spending four seasons with the Portland Winterhawks, Carruth set the team’s all-time win record with 117 wins in 176 games.
He holds the WHL record for playoff games played, with 75. The next closest WHL goaltender to that mark is Cam Ward (Red Deer Rebels), making 65 playoff appearances. Carruth also holds the Winterhawks record for most shutouts in a single season (7) as well as most career shutouts (11).
The netminder that held down crease en route to the Winterhawks becoming the back-to-back-to-back Western Conference Champions from 2011-2013, Carruth led the team to the 2013 Memorial Cup Final.
A six-time CHL goaltender of the week, Carruth gave moments such as this and kept fans coming to the rink:
The 2011-12 season saw Carruth appear in 85 games between the regular season and playoffs where he put up a 57-23-3 record. His final season in the WHL (2012-13), the US-born netminder finished the regular season with a .929SV% before posting a .937SV% in the postseason that saw the Winterhawks win the WHL title for the first time in 15 years.
Mac Carruth is one of those goaltenders that WHL fans remember, whether for his ability in net or his feisty attitude during games. Carruth wasn’t one to avoid dropping the gloves if necessary (in fact, he still isn’t).
Though he was on Winterhawks rosters that featured fan favorites and WHL stars, Carruth stood out and made sure his name was known during his time in Portland.
There is no discussion about who the WHL’s best of the 2010s are without Mac Carruth’s name being in the mix.