The New Jersey Devils have recalled goaltender Isaac Poulter. He will back up starter Jacob Markstrom on Tuesday, with veteran Jake Allen expected to miss the game with an undisclosed injury. It’s the third call-up of Poulter’s career, after a pair of brief stints as New Jersey’s backup last Spring.
Poulter has yet to make his NHL debut. Instead, he’s spent the last three seasons bouncing between the ECHL and AHL rosters. He earned his first pro contract in 2022, signing as an undrafted free agent after impressing at New Jersey’s 2022 training camp. Poulter recorded a 10-8-2 record and .910 save percentage in 22 ECHL games in his first pro season. That earned him a call-up to the AHL late in the season, and more formally a chance at the lion’s share of starts in a crowded goalie room last season. Poulter posted a team-leading 17-8-1 record and .911 save percentage in 28 games over 2023-24, complimenting it with a 5-0-1 and .917 in six ECHL games.
Poulter has started this year as the backup to Nico Daws, and hasn’t performed as well with the reduced role. He’s posted a 2-4-2 record and .871 save percentage, a small step below Daws’ 3-8-1 record and .897 save percentage on a struggling Utica lineup. Poulter likely won’t earn his NHL debut on this call-up – and should be headed back to the minor leagues, and back to his competition with Daws, once Allen returns to full health.