The Charlottetown Islanders have found their starter in overager Ruccia, who departs Cape Breton after a monster year.
The Charlottetown Islanders have made a big splash in acquiring 20-year old goaltender Nicolas Ruccia from the Cape Breton Eagles for a 2026 2nd and a 2027 5th round pick.
A former 17th overall selection in the 2020 QMJHL draft, Ruccia was thrown to the wolves on a rebuilding Cape Breton team. Slowly but surely, he was able to build confidence and find his game last year. This past year, Ruccia has been dominant.
He amassed an impressive .910 save percentage and 2.48 goals against average over 40 games. He was top 5 in the QMJHL in save percentage this season amongst goalies who played 30 or more games. His great play continued well into the postseason with a .911 save percentage over 14 games.
Ruccia should provide the Islanders with dependable goaltending as they look to be an above .500 hockey team for the first time since the 2021-22 season where they made a run to the QMJHL finals.
The trade allows the Eagles to prioritize 18-year old goaltending prospect Jakub Milota. Milota, who was Cape Breton's 23rd overall selection in the CHL Import Draft in 2023, is coming off an impressive freshman season in the QMJHL, posting a .905 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average.
Milota’s save percentage is the highest of QMJHL first time draft eligibles this season, and led to him being the 18th ranked North American goaltender by NHL Central Scouting.
Given that most of Cape Breton’s top players are returning next season, this move shouldn’t be a sign for a major retool or rebuild. Instead, it’s clear that the Eagles are confident in Milota as their starter moving forward.
