Arizona Coyotes goaltender Matt Villalta got his first taste of NHL action against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday night. 20240216_Tourigny_Postgame After Connor Ingram suffered an injury that will keep him out for 7-10 days, the Coyotes went ahead and called up Villalta from the Tucson Roadrunners of the American Hockey League. Despite just coming into the game for about half of the third period in relief of Karel Vejmelka, it was still a moment that Villalta will surely never forget. “On a personal note, it’s something very special and definitely a cool moment despite the loss tonight,” Villalta said. “I’m very thankful and fortunate for everyone who has helped me get to this point. I’m just trying to soak it all in as much as I could and stay in the moment at the same time. Definitely a cool moment for myself and family.” 20240216_Villalta_Postgame Through Villalta’s short stint with the Coyotes thus far, coach André Tourigny has really liked what he has seen from the young goaltender. “At 5-1 it was an opportunity to get his feet wet a little bit and have a feel for the game,” Tourigny said. “I think he showed quickness, same thing in the morning skate. What I saw first hand is he is really quick. He did good for the time he was there.” Why is it so significant that this one goalie played for half of a period in a game that was a blowout? For context, Villalta is having a phenomenal year with the Roadrunners where he is really making a name for himself as in 34 games, he has 22-11-1 record, 2.58 goals against average and .913 save percentage. The 24-year-old’s outstanding play is translating into team success. The Roadrunners have a 28-15-2 record which places them second in the Pacific Division, well on their way to a potential playoff berth. Villalta opened up about the season he is having in Tucson thus far. “We got a pretty special group down there,” Villalta said. “I think it starts in the locker room, we have a great group of guys. Great coaching staff. The staff shows up very early every morning and they put a plan in place for us. They make it easy on us. Like I said before it’s a whole team as a group. I think we are all just having a lot of fun down there and obviously when you are winning hockey games that’s a lot more fun too. “We got a good thing going on there. We are just rolling and we have goals for the postseason. Obviously we want to win a Calder Cup down there. Gotta take one day at a time though. I’m just very honored to have an opportunity to have the starting role in Tucson. I think the biggest thing for me this year was showing up, working as hard as I can, being a great teammate and always having a smile on my face…” This is all just the start for Villalta in what has the potential to be a very prosperous and successful hockey career.
