Vezina Trophy Rankings: Oettinger leads list of early wild cards

Welcome to the first in-season edition of theScore's 2022-23 Vezina Trophy Rankings. Off the hop, we'll concede that our preseason rankings are already incredibly outdated, with none of the top five favorites we outlined cracking the new list based on their October outputs.

Small sample sizes have allowed for some unlikely candidates to emerge, and while some of the eye-popping numbers below are bound to regress, here's how things stand between the pipes nearly one month into the new campaign.

HDSV% = High-danger save percentage
GSAA = Goals saved above average

5. Logan Thompson, Golden Knights

Preseason rank: N/A

Remember all the offseason takes writing off the Golden Knights after Robin Lehner's injury? Thanks to Vegas' new No. 1 netminder, reports of the club's demise are nothing but a distant memory. Thompson only had 17 career starts under his belt before this season - perhaps he's on track to compete for the Calder Trophy as well - but he has tackled his expanded workload head-on and posted terrific numbers along the way.

Thompson has been a benefactor of Vegas' defensive improvement under new head coach Bruce Cassidy - the club ranks fourth in the NHL with 2.14 expected goals against per 60 - but the rookie puck-stopper has been ready when called upon and performed above expectation in both advanced stats and the eye test. It will be fun to see how long Thompson can stay in the mix on this list.

4. Linus Ullmark, Bruins

Preseason rank: N/A

Ullmark is undefeated on the young season and is one of many key pieces currently helping the Bruins look unstoppable. Like Thompson, Ullmark's numbers are propped up by Boston's defensive prowess, but the veteran netminder deserves his share of credit, posting solid numbers across the board. Ullmark's never been Vezina-caliber for a full season and is bound to fall toward his career averages eventually. But as the starter of one of the league's best teams, he'll get serious consideration for the award even if his pace slows down.

3. Carter Hart, Flyers

Preseason rank: N/A

Hart has yet to lose in regulation this season and is the biggest reason the Flyers have impressed out of the gate under John Tortorella. Philadelphia isn't posting promising metrics by any means and is likely to come crashing down to Earth, but Hart himself has been fantastic. He ranks first in the NHL in both goals saved above expected and GSAA. His traditional stats are also significantly improved after a miserable two-year stretch that had many questioning whether the once can't-miss prospect would ever turn out to be a star. Hart still has a long way to go to achieve that kind of status, but it's encouraging to see him on the right track early this season.

2. Ilya Sorokin, Islanders

Preseason rank: N/A

The margin between Sorokin and our top-ranked goalie is razor-thin, much like the stats between them. The Islanders aren't the defensive juggernaut they used to be, but Sorokin has been there to give New York a chance to win every night. He has the talent and reputation to stay front-and-center in the Vezina picture despite the Isles' deficiencies, as illustrated by his sixth-place finish in last year's voting when New York didn't sniff the playoffs. Regression may come swiftly for some of the other goalies on this list, but Sorokin is establishing himself as one of the league's true elites between the pipes and should be in the running all season long if he remains healthy. If he can carry the Islanders into the postseason, he could easily be the favorite to win the award.

1. Jake Oettinger, Stars

Preseason rank: N/A

An ill-timed injury has temporarily halted Oettinger's scorching start, but his efforts thus far are enough to secure the No. 1 spot for the time being. The 23-year-old ranks no worse than second league-wide in each of the stats above, and his only loss of the season came against the league-leading Bruins despite his best efforts.

Oettinger's coming-out party occurred during last season's playoffs when he almost stole a seven-game series win from the hands of the Calgary Flames. He's carried over his unflappable form into the new campaign and looks every bit the franchise goalie Dallas hoped it nabbed with the 26th overall pick in 2017. Provided he gets back on the ice soon, Oettinger should be in the mix for the hardware up until votes are totaled.

(Advanced stats source: Evolving-Hockey, Natural Stat Trick)