The Laval Rocket have signed goaltender Ben Gaudreau to a one-year deal, it was announced earlier this week.
Gaudreau, a former 2021 third round pick of the San Jose Sharks, just finished his first professional season splitting time between the Rockford IceHogs and the ECHL's Indy Fuel. Over 43 ECHL appearances, Gaudreau posted a stat line of 21-16-6, a 2.46 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. With Rockford, Gaudreau went 2-2-0 along with a 3.19 GAA and a .868 SP in five games.
Before making his way into the Chicago Blackhawks organization, Gaudreau played his junior hockey in the OHL with the Sarnia Sting and the Erie Otters. Over a total of 151 career regular season games, Gaudreau put up a record of 74-54-12 alongside a 3.53 GAA and a .890 SP.
With Gaudreau heading to Laval, he has a strong chance to get into some games but will likely spend a good chunk of time in the ECHL with the Trois-Rivieres Lions. With Jacob Fowler in the system, he will likely assume the starter's role for the Rocket, but that is not to say that Gaudreau may not challenge for playing time as he has flashed his potential in the past and can do so again.