Antoine Keller was on vacation in Spain when the course of his career changed following his seventh-round selection to the Capitals.
ARLINGTON, V.A. -- Last Friday, goaltender Antoine Keller was on a family vacation in Spain, enjoying the country while the NHL Draft played on the television in the background. He hadn't been focused much on it and didn't expect to go in this year's draft -- but the Washington Capitals had other ideas.
Washington traded back into the draft, acquiring a second seventh-rounder just so they could select the netminder this year.
"It was super exciting... I wasn't expecting to be drafted this year. I said there might be a chance," he said, adding later, "They trade to get me, but I don't think about that. I'm just very happy they chose me."
After touching base with his agent and the team, a scramble ensued as he was offered a trip to the team's development camp in Washington, D.C., the next day. He wasn't going to miss it for anything -- not even Barcelona -- and quickly flew back to France, packed his gear and flew to the Nation's Capital, arriving on Monday for three days of work.
"He wanted to come," assistant general manager Ross Mahoney said. "That showed a little bit more of his character."
Keller was born in Dijon, France, which sits close to Switzerland and is closer to Geneva than Paris. He honed his craft in his home country until the age of 13, and though he holds his home country close to his heart, he elected to move to Geneva to continue his development and pursue his hockey dream with Genève-Servette.
"Swiss hockey is better than French hockey," he explained with regard to the countries' leagues and paths they both had to offer.
There, he embraced his Swiss heritage and moved up the ranks with the organization, growing his game and expanding on his skill set. He bears the flags of both countries on the backplate of his mask.
"They're both of my countries," he said proudly.
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Keller played with the U20 Elit team this past season, putting up a 3.40 GAA through 25 games with his club this season. In the U20 World Championship in December, Keller boasted a .921 save percentage in five games, and in all international competition this year, he had a .920 SV% through eight games total.
While in Geneva, he touched base with a few teams, including the Capitals, who he had several positive conversations with. So, when he heard which team took him, he wasn't surprised to hear it was D.C.
"[I suspected] if a team chose me, it might be the Capitals," he noted.
Keller is the first French draft pick in franchise history, as well as just the sixth Frenchman ever drafted. The last player from France to be selected in the NHL Draft was Alexandre Texier. For him, being part of history in that sense was another huge accomplishment.
"Really happy to represent my country. Really proud to be French," he said. " I didn't realize it [at the time]. I'm just happy."
Though he had several conversations with Washington and shined in international play, Keller wanted to prove to the team, and the rest of the league, what he could do on the ice as well.
At camp, he showcased his collectedness between the pipes. During the 3-on-3 tournament, he made some big saves and utilized his flexibility, lateral movement and quick glove hand to backstop his team to the championship.
"It looks like he can adapt very quickly too, and I'm very pleased with how he played too," Mahoney added. "We made that decision to make a trade and to get him, and we're happy to get him."
Antoine Keller save on Ivan Miroshnichenko (Sammi Silber/THN)
Keller, who didn't watch too much NHL hockey growing up with most games running at midnight overseas, said that he places emphasis on structure and positioning as a goaltender. That was the main takeaway from the scouting report he gave himself, and he also offered New York Islanders netminder Ilya Sorokin as a comparable.
"I'm a very calm goaltender. I don't put pressure on my defenseman. When you're playing with me, you feel confident in me. I like to play the puck a lot... I'm very calm and when I'm in my structure, I'm really good... [Like Sorokin], very compact, very structured."
Looking to the future, Keller is looking forward to continuing to master his game. On Wednesday, he went in the second round of the CHL Import Draft to the QMJHL's Acadie-Bathurst Titan, where he can continue to utilize his native French language. However, it's unclear if the plan is to continue in Europe or to make the move overseas.
Regardless, he's sure of one thing: there's a big opportunity with the Capitals, a team that has built its goaltending depth over the years, and he's ready to seize it.
"I'm just happy to be here," he smiled. "It was really nice to play, to touch some ice during the summer. I'm very happy."