Connor Hellebuyck will wear No. 37 this season, honor the late Dan Snyder

By @MichaelCaples –

The Winnipeg Jets/Atlanta Thrashers organization has kept the No. 37 jersey out of circulation since the passing of Dan Snyder 13 years ago.

With the blessing of Snyder’s family, however, Connor Hellebuyck will now wear that number moving forward.

The Jets posted today that Hellebuyck will be No. 37 on the roster, and his jersey will carry with it a patch that remembers Snyder, who passed away in a car accident on Oct. 5, 2003 at the age of 25. He was in his second season with the Atlanta Thrashers.

In the tweet announcing the news, the Jets thanked the Snyder family for their support.

Connor Hellebuyck’s #37 jersey will have this patch sewn inside. Thank you to the Snyder family for their support. pic.twitter.com/20qLgSMeIa

— Winnipeg Jets (@NHLJets) September 7, 2016

Hellebuyck, a Commerce native and top goaltending prospect for the Jets has worn No. 37 for the majority of his career, having donned said digits during his time at UMass-Lowell and during his time in the AHL. He also wore No. 37 during the World Championships and will be wearing it when the puck drops on the World Cup of Hockey (he’s one of the goaltenders for the budding stars group of under-23 players known as Team North America).

The 23-year-old netminder is growing into one of Michigan’s latest hockey success stories. He played high school hockey for Walled Lake Northern before earning a chance in the NAHL. From there, he seized his college opportunity, winning the Mike Richter Award as top goaltender in the NCAA, and he was fifth-round draft pick of the Jets of 2012.

Hellebuyck appeared in 26 NHL contests last season as a rookie, and he posted a .918 save percentage, 2.34 goals-against average and a 13-11-0 record with two shutouts.