Blue Jackets prospect Nolan Lalonde has taken the lead for most consecutive wins by a Saginaw Spirit goaltender, with 11 straight wins.
Saginaw Spirit goaltender Nolan Lalonde made history with his 5-2 win over the Windsor Spitfires on Sunday, January 28th.
Lalonde now has eleven straight wins, the most ever by a Saginaw Spirit goaltender.
In eight of those eleven games, Lalonde has allowed 2-or-less goals to earn his team the win.
Lalonde was traded to Saginaw at the beginning of the season from the Erie Otters in a three-way-trade. This trade also sent Ben Gaudreau to Erie, replacing Lalonde as the Otters' starter.
Since joining the Spirit, Lalonde has just 12 wins in 21 games but has really turned it on recently with 11 straight. He has a 2.95 GAA & a .877% save percentage since joining Saginaw.
He started a large majority of games for the Erie Otters in his first two seasons, totalling 95 starts. Lalonde was relied upon almost "too much" as the Otters have not been great over the last two seasons. Nonetheless, he was able to hold his ground and still showcase his talents despite a weak defence core in front of him.
Lalonde attended the Columbus Blue Jackets' development camp in 2022, and was signed as a walk-on free agent in main camp. Goaltenders can be tough to identify in junior, especially those on a weak team with weak defence cores in front of them.
The Blue Jackets were able to identify Lalonde, and bring him on before any other team was able to snag him.
Lalonde seems to be finding his groove in a Spirit jersey, and will continue to battle with Andrew Oke for the starting position come playoffs.