Jack Lafontaine signs his controversial ELC with the Hurricanes

Jack Lafontaine has signed his entry-level contract with the Carolina Hurricanes, but not under the cleanest of circumstances. With the highly-rated goalie prospect joining the organization, he is no longer eligible to continue his college career meaning he has left his team in the middle of a year. However, If you were presented with $1 million for signing a deal to play professional hockey, you’d probably do it too.

Lafontaine leaves Minnesota after 43 victories with the school. Suffering just 24 losses and six extra frame defeats in the same time frame, Lafontaine did his part for the University of Minnesota during his tenure with them. His .934 last year and two assists really pushed his value up to the point where he was rewarded by the NCAA itself for his performance in the season.

Carolina’s newest signing won the NCAA’s Mike Richter Award as the NCAA’s best goaltender in his last season. Carolina’s 2016 75th overall pick has been adding stock to his value for a few years now. It’s not just during his time in the gopher state that he’s been a great goaltender. He’s spent 4 years in the NCAA split between Michigan and Minnesota, but there was a year in the middle he left college hockey.

That year, Lafontaine ventured out to the British Colombia Hockey League or BCHL to join one of the most storied clubs in this junior A league in the Penticton Vees. In his only year in the BCHL, he had a fantastic .923 save percentage and a 2.19 goals-against average as a 21-year old goaltender. His 30-13-1 record with Penticton was very impressive, as he was named BCHL goalie of the year.

Lafontaine was needed at this point because he’s the 3rd choice netminder right now. Carolina’s depth in the crease has been consumed by injuries. Whether Lafontaine remains in the NHL when the netminders start to come healthy is yet to be seen, but we now know that he is on the taxi squad and is already the contingency plan if another goaltender gets hurt, or gets put on the COVID-19 list.

It’s going to be a long season, Carolina’s team depth is going to be tested time and again, but their goaltending depth is already under fire. Organization depth has been praised time and again for its ability to step up in the biggest moments and come through in a way that allows the organization to achieve victories against any other hockey club. Lafontaine just adds to that organizational depth.