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Jack LaFontaine

Minor Transactions: 8/15/24

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We saw a couple of NHL transactions today with a pair of PTOs being handed out.  In the meantime, some former NHL-contracted players recently landed contracts which are among the deals in our latest roundup of minor moves.

  • Philadelphia’s AHL affiliate in Lehigh Valley officially announced the previously reported signing of goaltender Keith Petruzzelli to a one-year deal.  The 24-year-old was originally a prospect of Detroit but didn’t sign with them, instead inking a minor-league deal with Toronto, one that was eventually elevated to an entry-level pact.  Last season, Petruzzelli played in 17 games with the AHL’s Marlies, posting a 3.55 GAA and a .867 SV%, resulting in him being non-tendered in late June.  With there being some uncertainty surrounding Flyers prospect Alexei Kolosov’s plans for the upcoming season, Petruzzelli will serve as some insurance between the pipes.
  • Forward Blake McLaughlin has inked a one-year deal with AHL Hartford (affiliate of the Rangers), per a team release. The 24-year-old split last season between the AHL and ECHL, notching two assists in 29 games with AHL San Diego but was much more productive with ECHL Tulsa, recording 25 points in 21 appearances but it wasn’t enough to earn a qualifying offer earlier this summer.
  • The Canucks’ AHL affiliate in Abbotsford announced the signings of forward Zach Okabe and defenceman Zach Berzolla to one-year deals. Okabe turned pro late last season after wrapping up his college career with a 24-point effort at St. Cloud State and got into nine games with AHL Cleveland, recording three points.  Berzolla, meanwhile, has spent the majority of his four professional campaigns in the ECHL but did get into 17 games with AHL Hartford last season.
  • Seattle’s farm team in Coachella Valley announced the re-signing of goaltender Jack LaFontaine to a one-year deal. The 26-year-old was originally drafted by Carolina and left college early to sign with them, getting into one NHL contest before spending the last two years exclusively in the minors.  LaFontaine primarily played with ECHL Kansas City (the Kraken’s affiliate at that level) last season, posting a 2.77 GAA with a .911 SV% in 23 regular season games.

AHL Coachella Valley Signs Jack LaFontaine

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The AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds have signed netminder Jack LaFontaine to a one-year contract, per the team, bringing the former Carolina Hurricanes draft pick into the Seattle Kraken organization.

A 2016 third-round pick, LaFontaine’s post-draft career got off to an inauspicious beginning at the University of Michigan for two seasons in a backup role. After then taking a year off from school to play in the BCHL, LaFontaine joined the University of Minnesota, where he became the team’s undisputed starter and, during the 2020-21 campaign, was arguably the best goalie in college hockey, posting a .934 save percentage and 22-7-0 record en route to winning the Mike Richter award for the NCAA’s top collegiate goalie.

His fifth season in college didn’t go quite well, posting a 2.69 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 20 games before deciding to turn pro in the middle of the season and sign an entry-level contract with Carolina. He made two NHL appearances for them, stopping just 32 of 41 shots in 75 minutes of action. His time in the minors after signing didn’t go swimmingly, posting just a .885 save percentage and a 4-3-7 record in 13 games with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

The minor-league performance was discouraging enough for the Hurricanes to cut him loose at the end of the season, opting not to issue him a qualifying offer in favor of other goalies in the organization they believed had higher ceilings. It led to LaFontaine signing an AHL contract last summer with the Syracuse Crunch, the affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He played just five games in Syracuse last season, instead spending most of 2022-23 in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears, where he again struggled with a .898 save percentage and an 11-14-1 record. He did look much improved in his stint with Syracuse, though, posting a .924 save percentage and 2.36 goals-against average in his limited stint.

LaFontaine will now look to secure a backup role in Coachella Valley and get his career back on track. He’ll have to beat out Kraken free agent signing Ales Stezka for the job, though, and he’s coming over to North America after posting a .924 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against average in 39 games with HC Vítkovice in the Czech Extraliga last season.

Minor Transactions: 03/05/23

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It’s a relatively slow day on the NHL calendar, at least compared to yesterday, with just five games on the schedule. But in leagues across the hockey world, teams are gearing up for the playoffs, such as in Europe where the ICEHL and DEL both are set to begin their playoffs this week. As teams in foreign leagues or minor leagues either get set to begin their playoffs or secure their spot in them, they’re also making tweaks to their rosters and other forms of transactions. We’ll keep track of those moves here.

  • Former Ottawa Senator and three-time Spengler Cup champion Chris DiDomenico is returning to Fribourg. Swiss club HC Fribourg-Gotteron has announced that the 34-year-old forward has signed a two-year deal set to begin next season. After a 2017-18 season that saw DiDomenico play 24 NHL games and score 18 points in just 13 AHL playoff games, he made the choice to cross the Atlantic and return to Switzerland, where he was before making it to the NHL. DiDomenico has been a star there, scoring a total of 314 points in 328 total games, and has scored 23 goals and 53 points in 46 games this season.
  • 2016 Carolina Hurricanes third-round pick Jack LaFontaine, 25, has been reassigned to the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears from the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, according to a team announcement. LaFontaine returned in time to play in the Solar Bears’ game against the South Carolina Stingrays today, where he stopped 32 of 34 shots en route to a 7-2 victory. LaFontaine has spent most of this season in the ECHL, and he has a .905 save percentage in 22 games in Orlando this season.
  • Morten Poulsen, who represented Denmark at the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing and is a star in Denmark’s top professional league, has signed a two-year extension with his current club, Herning Blue Fox. The 34-year-old is Herning’s captain and has scored 290 points in 394 career games at Denmark’s highest level. He’s a three-time Danish champion and has experience playing in Austria, in the Finnish Liiga, and in Sweden.
  • A longtime veteran of the second and third divisions of German hockey won’t be hanging up his skates anytime soon. 41-year-old blueliner Lukas Slavetinsky, who has nearly 1,300 games of experience at four levels of German hockey has signed a one-year extension with his current team, EV Fussen, who play in the third tier of German hockey. He’s still quite productive, having scored 39 points in 39 games this season, and got into eleven games of action this year in second-tier DEL2. He last saw the ice in the DEL, the highest level of German pro hockey, in 2006-07 with ERC Ingolstadt.
  • Michel Ackers, a 31-year-old defenseman who has served as captain of Herner EV 2007, a club in Germany’s third division, has signed a two-year extension to remain with the team. Ackers is one of the club’s most committed players, having skated in over 300 games for them and scored around a point-per-game rate multiple times. He’ll remain with the team for the next two years with the hope of finally leading them to promotion to the DEL2.

Minor Transactions: 07/25/22

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We’re now a few weeks into the offseason and some big-name free agents are still unsigned. While we wait on those players to choose their next team, there are plenty of minor moves happening around the hockey world. As always, we’ll keep track of those right here.

  • The Syracuse Crunch have signed Jack LaFontaine to an AHL contract, following the Carolina Hurricanes cutting ties with the free agent goaltender. LaFontaine, who left the University of Minnesota midseason to join the Hurricanes, wasn’t issued a qualifying offer at the end of the year.
  • Joey Keane has decided to head overseas following his Calder Cup championship, signing with Spartak Moscow in the KHL. The Hurricanes will retain his exclusive rights after issuing him a qualifying offer this summer. The 23-year-old had 45 points in 80 total games for the Chicago Wolves this season.
  • The Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate, a team that haas yet to be named, has signed forward Mitch McLain to an AHL contract, confirms Ryan Pike of Flames Nation (link). McLain spent four years at Bowling Green State University before turning pro in the spring of 2018, signing with the Iowa Wild. The 28-year-old spent parts of four seasons in Iowa before heading to the Milwaukee Admirals for the 2021-22 season, where he scored 17 goals to go with six assists in 76 AHL contests.

This page will be updated throughout the day

Carolina Hurricanes Send Pyotr Kochetkov, Jack LaFontaine To AHL

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For most of the Carolina Hurricanes, the season is over and they now face months of disappointment before getting another chance to chase a championship. Not so for at least two members of the team, as Pyotr Kochetkov and Jack LaFontaine have both been sent to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.

Kochetkov, 22, likely didn’t think he’d be appearing in more playoff games than regular season contests in his first NHL campaign, but that’s exactly what happened. The young netminder was forced into the crease on four occasions these playoffs, including games six and seven against the New York Rangers. While he struggled in those appearances, it’s hard to blame someone who had just three games of NHL experience and 15 games of AHL experience to this point.

A second-round selection in 2019, there’s still huge upside in the Russian goaltender, and he showed it with the Wolves this year. In the AHL, Kochetkov went 13-1-1 with a .921 save percentage.

LaFontaine, meanwhile, was pulled right out of college hockey this season when the Hurricanes were struggling to find healthy goaltenders. The 24-year-old started the year with the University of Minnesota (even serving as captain), before signing his entry-level contract in early January. He appeared in two NHL games, 13 AHL games, and even two ECHL games, posting better numbers as the competition decreased. The third-round pick didn’t appear in the playoffs but was needed as the emergency goaltender with Frederik Andersen’s status unclear.

Now, the two goaltenders will re-join a Wolves team that is set to take on the Stockton Heat in the Western Conference Finals. The series kicks off on Friday, and it will be interesting to see if either one sees any action. To this point, the Wolves have gone with Alex Lyon in the playoffs, who has a .926 save percentage in seven games–winning six of them to cruise through two rounds.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Injury Notes: Saros, Andersen, Bunting

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The Nashville Predators already had an incredibly daunting task ahead of them when they drew the Colorado Avalanche in the first round, but now it might seem an impossible task. Head coach John Hynes told reporters including Adam Vingan of The Athletic that Juuse Saros, injured in the last week of the season, will miss at least the first two games of the series. Saros is on the trip but it is not yet clear when he will be back for the Predators.

In his absence, Hynes explained that they are still discussing whether to start David Rittich or Connor Ingram in game one. A decision that might be easy for most teams that have a regular backup, the Predators are in a sort of a unique situation. No other team relied on their starter more heavily than Nashville, who had Saros start 67 games this season. Rittich posted an .886 save percentage in 17 appearances, while Ingram had a .879 in three. The series starts tomorrow night.

  • Emily Kaplan of ESPN reports that Carolina Hurricanes starter Frederik Andersen has a sprained knee, though there is no structural damage. She believes it is highly unlikely that the primary Jennings winner will be ready for game two. Antti Raanta will get the start tonight, though with his own history of injuries the team has brought along an extra goaltender. Jack LaFontaine has been recalled from the minor leagues, and will likely serve as the emergency backup tonight. Unlike the regular season, where each venue hosts an EBUG that can end up dressing for either team, in the playoffs teams can carry their own.
  • It appears as though the Edmonton Oilers will have Darnell Nurse in the lineup tonight, despite him not actually confirming it at his press availability. Pierre LeBrun and Ryan Rishaug of TSN discuss the situation, noting that while the top defenseman is technically a game-time decision, they both believe he’ll be available this evening. Nurse hasn’t played since April 22, when he left early against the Colorado Avalanche. As they have many times in the second half, the Oilers could dress seven defensemen, especially if Nurse is still not at 100 percent.

Snapshots: Kane, Ryan, LaFontaine

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The San Jose Sharks officially filed the termination of Evander Kane’s contract yesterday, but it was met with a grievance from the NHLPA last night, according to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. How it will all work out is still very much unclear, but for now, Kane and his representatives have begun searching for a new home.

In fact, Dan Milstein, Kane’s agent, told LeBrun that there is a lot of interest in his client who will be signing a one-year deal for the rest of this season. Darren Dreger of TSN said on the radio today that 15-20 teams have expressed some level of interest, with the Edmonton Oilers being one of them.

  • It appears as though Bobby Ryan’s bid to represent the United States again at the Olympics won’t come to fruition, as former NHL player Marc Methot tweets that Ryan hasn’t made the roster. The veteran forward was supposed to play at the recent Spengler Cup in preparation, but it was canceled due to COVID concerns. Interestingly, that means that Ryan could potentially be on the radar for NHL teams looking to add a little bit of depth down the stretch.
  • Jack LaFontaine has been assigned to the Carolina Hurricanes taxi squad and spoke to Sara Civian of The Athletic about what he calls a “golden” opportunity to start his NHL career. Civian reports that it is likely that LaFontaine gets at least one game with the Hurricanes this season. The young goaltender left his college career behind to sign with Carolina and will be a restricted free agent this summer whether he plays in the NHL or not.

Carolina Hurricanes Sign Jack LaFontaine

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It’s not often that you see an NHL team sign a college prospect during the season, but with the Carolina Hurricanes desperately searching for goaltending depth that’s exactly what has happened. Jack LaFontaine, the reigning Mike Richter Award winner and current starting goaltender for the University of Minnesota, has signed his one-year entry-level contract, leaving the college level behind.

Hurricanes GM Don Waddell released a statement:

As the reigning Mike Richter Award recipient, Jack has proven he’s ready to take the next steps in his career. We love his athleticism and consistency and can’t wait for him to start his professional career.

LaFontaine is no longer eligible to play in the NCAA and will join the Hurricanes organization immediately. His entry-level deal comes with a prorated NHL salary of $750K, an AHL salary of $70K, and a signing bonus of $88.5K (the release originally indicated LaFontaine had received a $250K bonus, but entry-level signing bonuses are capped at $92.5K).

Already 24, it’s been nearly six years since LaFontaine was selected 75th overall by the Hurricanes in 2016. The 6’3″ netminder debuted for the University of Michigan the following season, but after two years in a rotating goaltending platoon, he left the Wolverines and played a year with the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, winning the league’s top goaltender award. He joined Minnesota in 2019-20 and posted a .919 save percentage in 25 starts, but it was 2020-21 when he really excelled.

Last season he posted a 22-7 record with a .934 save percentage, winning the NCAA top goaltender award and finishing as a finalist for the Hobey Baker. He was a first-team All-American, won the Big Ten tournament MVP, and looked poised to make the jump to professional hockey. Instead, he used the additional year of availability offered because of COVID to return to Minnesota for this season and was named a co-captain of the Golden Gophers.

His departure after 20 games is somewhat shocking, though things hadn’t been going quite as well this time around. LaFontaine has a .900 save percentage through 20 games with a 12-8 record. That’s where his college career will end, leaving Minnesota with Justen Close and Brennan Boynton in net. Of course, the Gophers would have had Jared Moe, a Winnipeg Jets sixth-round pick, but he transferred to Wisconsin (where he has a .922 in 17 games) when LaFontaine decided to return.

With Antti Raanta injured, the Hurricanes went with Alex Lyon in net last night against the Florida Panthers but have organizational depth issues into the low minors as well. Eetu Makiniemi and Beck Warm are both currently injured, leaving the Chicago Wolves scrambling to sign goaltenders to professional tryouts just to ice a roster. LaFontaine will help ease those issues, whether he ends up at the AHL or NHL level. He’ll also get to burn through his entry-level deal this season, making him a restricted free agent in the summer.

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