The Vegas Golden Knights selected goaltender Cameron Whitehead in the fourth round (No. 128) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
POV: you were just selected by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 4th round 😎 pic.twitter.com/eWi6PDAm4S
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 8, 2022
Vegas entered the draft without a fourth-round selection but moved its 2023 fourth-round pick to Montreal in order to bring Whitehead into the organization, drafting a goaltender for the seventh time in franchise history (Maksim Zhukov, Jiri Patera, Jordan Kooy, Isaiah Saville, Jesper Vikman, Carl Lindbom).
Whitehead went 16-8-4 with a 3.19 goals-against average and .892 save percentage last year with the Lincoln Stars of the USHL, helping them reach the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
NHL Central Scouting had Whitehead ranked seventh among North American goalies.
He responded well after being passed over in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft; the 19-year-old Ontario native finished tied for eighth in wins among USHL goalies and recorded one shutout in 31 games.
The 6-foot-3, 173-pound netminder is athletic and moves very well laterally thanks to strong edgework. His mechanics are impressive, he competes for every puck and he’s not afraid to get creative on broken plays. However, there’s room for improvement when it comes to rebound control, puck management and defending breakaways.
That being said, most goalie prospects are considered projects with plenty of uncertainty. His size and athleticism are assets, and he has plenty of time to improve other areas of his game.
Whitehead is committed to Northeastern for the 2023-24 season.