For most of the Carolina Hurricanes, the season is over and they now face months of disappointment before getting another chance to chase a championship. Not so for at least two members of the team, as Pyotr Kochetkov and Jack LaFontaine have both been sent to the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
Kochetkov, 22, likely didn’t think he’d be appearing in more playoff games than regular-season contests in his first NHL campaign, but that’s exactly what happened. The young netminder was forced into the crease on four occasions these playoffs, including Games 6 and 7 against the New York Rangers. While he struggled in those appearances, it’s hard to blame someone who had just three games of NHL experience and 15 games of AHL experience to this point.
A second-round selection in 2019, there’s still huge upside in the Russian goaltender, and he showed it with the Wolves this year. In the AHL, Kochetkov went 13-1-1 with a .921 save percentage.
LaFontaine, meanwhile, was pulled right out of college hockey this season when the Hurricanes were struggling to find healthy goaltenders. The 24-year-old started the year with the University of Minnesota (even serving as captain), before signing his entry-level contract in early January. He appeared in two NHL games, 13 AHL games and even two ECHL games, posting better numbers as the competition decreased. The third-round pick didn’t appear in the playoffs but was needed as the emergency goaltender with Frederik Andersen’s status unclear.
Now, the two goaltenders will re-join a Wolves team that is set to take on the Stockton Heat in the Western Conference Finals. The series kicks off on Friday, and it will be interesting to see if either one sees any action. To this point, the Wolves have gone with Alex Lyon in the playoffs, who has a .926 save percentage in seven games — winning six of them to cruise through two rounds.
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