Sam Montembeault

Samuel Montembeault
Montembeault with the Springfield Thunderbirds in 2019
Born (1996-10-30) October 30, 1996 (age 28)
Bécancour, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 222 lb (101 kg; 15 st 12 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Montreal Canadiens
Florida Panthers
National team  Canada
NHL draft 77th overall, 2015
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2015–present

Samuel Montembeault (born October 30, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the third round, 77th overall, by the Florida Panthers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

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Junior

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Montembeault first played junior hockey in his native Quebec, with the Trois-Rivières Estacades of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QMAAA) from 2011 to 2013. Showing early promise as the starting goaltender with the Estacades, Montembeault was selected to the Second All-Star Team and collected the Best Goalie Prospect award for the 2012–13 season. He was selected 40th overall by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the 2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) Entry Draft.

After appearing in a career high 52 games with the Armada during his second season in the QMJHL in 2014–15, Montembeault was selected by the Florida Panthers in the third round, 77th overall, of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[1]

In the following 2015–16 season, recorded a 17–19–8 record with a 2.63 goals against average, .901 save percentage with three shutouts. Leading the Armada in the post-season, Montembeault was named the Vaughn Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week for the week ending April 3 after earning a 3–1 record, 2.27 goals against average and .933 save percentage during Blainville’s first round playoff series win against Val-d'Or Foreurs. Montembeault finished the postseason with a 2.45 goals against average, .925 save percentage and one shutout.

On May 10, 2016, Montembeault was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers.[2] He returned for his final junior season in the QMJHL, establishing new career high with 2.40 goals against average and a .907 save percentage.

Professional

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Florida Panthers

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In his first professional season, Montembeault attended the Panthers' 2017 training camp, before being re-assigned to begin the 2017–18 season in the American Hockey League (AHL) with affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. He made his professional debut, making 25 saves for the Thunderbirds, in a 3–2 defeat to the Providence Bruins on October 13, 2017.[3] He collected his first win in his seventh outing, backstopping the Thunderbirds in a 5–3 decision over the Hartford Wolf Pack on November 3, 2017.[4] With the Thunderbirds finishing well out of the playoffs, Montembeault finished with 13 wins through 41 games.[5]

Montembeault with the Thunderbirds in 2019.

Montembeault was assigned to continue in the AHL with Springfield to begin the 2018–19 season. After 33 games with the Thunderbirds, having already matched his previous win totals, Montembeault received his first recall by the Panthers due to starting goaltender Roberto Luongo briefly leaving the team on bereavement, in February 2019.[6] In his second recall to the Panthers following an injury to backup James Reimer, Montembeault made his NHL debut in a 4–3 overtime defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida on March 2, 2019.[7]

Montreal Canadiens

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On October 1, 2021, Montembeault was placed on waivers by the Panthers. The following day, he was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens.[8] Montembeault made his debut for the team in a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where the Canadiens lost 6–2, but Montembeault was widely credited for a strong performance despite weak defending by the team.[9] Following starting goaltender Carey Price's taking a leave of absence for mental health reasons, Montembeault temporarily became the primary backup goaltender to Jake Allen.[10] On January 12, 2022, Allen was injured in a game against the Boston Bruins and subsequently announced to be out for at least two months, with Montembeault becoming the Canadiens' starting goaltender in the meantime.[11] The Canadiens named him their player of the month for January, having become the first goaltender in team history to post two consecutives games with 48 saves or more.[12] He earned his first NHL shutout win against the Buffalo Sabres on February 23, 2022.[13] Upon Allen's return, Montembeault played only sparingly, however, after the former was re-injured in early April, he again became the team's starting goaltender.[14] Following the conclusion of the season, Montembeault underwent wrist surgery.[15]

On July 18, 2022, Montembeault was re-signed to a two-year, $2 million contract extension with the Canadiens.[16] Beginning the 2022–23 season as Allen's backup, he was soon noted for markedly improved performance, particularly when evaluated by advanced statistics.[17] A notable stretch of games in January saw an injury to Allen necessitate Montembeault taking over as starter again, playing eight straight games and recording a 4-4-0 record with a .930 save percentage in that span. The team's general manager, Kent Hughes, praised his performance and said "he still has a lot to experience as a goalie, but we see the potential. So Sam definitely isn’t going anywhere."[18] Discussion of whether Montembeault should be treated as the team's main goaltender on a long-term basis began in sports media.[19] Upon Allen's return, the two largely alternated starts on an equal basis.[20] Montembeault finished second to team captain Nick Suzuki for the Molson Cup as team player of the year.[21] Upon the conclusion of the season, he was given the chance to represent Canada internationally for the first time.[22]

The Canadiens began the 2023–24 season with three goaltenders on the roster, as, in addition to Montembeault and Allen, prospect goaltender Cayden Primeau was no longer exempt from waivers and thus could not be sent down to the AHL's Laval Rocket without possibly being lost to another team. This precipitated discussions about one of the three being traded.[23] Montembeault appeared in ten games in the first two months of the season, recording a 5-3-1 record and a .910 save percentage, before it was announced on December 1 that he had been re-signed to a three-year, $9.45 million contract.[24] He ultimately appeared in 41 games, a new career high, with a 16-15-9 record and a .903 save percentage.[25]

Montembeault earned a shutout in the team's 2024–25 season opener against the Maple Leafs, setting an NHL record for the most saves in a season-opening shutout with 48.[26]

International play

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Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  Canada
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2023 Finland/Latvia

Montembeault was named to Team Canada for the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, however, as the team's third goaltender, did not see tournament play.[27] Seven years later, following the Canadiens not qualifying for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Montembeault accepted an invitation to join the national senior team at the 2023 IIHF World Championship.[22] In his first international appearance, he recorded a shutout victory over Team Latvia.[28] Montembeault started seven of the team's ten games, including all in the knockout rounds, posting a 1.42 goals against average and a .939 save percentage en route to Canada winning the championship.[29]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2011–12 Trois-Rivières Estacades QMAAA 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 1.000 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 Trois-Rivières Estacades QMAAA 19 11 7 1 1110 47 1 2.54 .915 6 4 2 — — — 2.79 .915
2013–14 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL 14 9 1 1 714 28 0 2.35 .898 1 1 0 53 3 0 3.40 .824
2014–15 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL 52 33 11 7 3104 134 3 2.59 .891 6 2 4 353 14 0 2.38 .878
2015–16 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL 47 17 19 8 2711 119 3 2.63 .901 11 5 5 685 28 1 2.45 .925
2016–17 Blainville-Boisbriand Armada QMJHL 41 28 9 1 2226 89 6 2.40 .907 18 12 6 1070 42 0 2.35 .910
2017–18 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 41 13 23 3 2196 119 2 3.25 .896 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 39 13 16 8 2188 118 1 3.24 .899 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Florida Panthers NHL 11 4 3 2 592 30 0 3.05 .894 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Florida Panthers NHL 14 5 5 1 701 39 0 3.34 .890 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 11 5 5 1 659 33 1 3.00 .918 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Syracuse Crunch AHL 13 8 4 1 775 37 1 2.86 .898 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 38 8 18 6 1943 122 1 3.77 .891 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Montreal Canadiens NHL 40 16 19 3 2334 133 0 3.42 .901 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 Montreal Canadiens NHL 41 16 15 9 2429 127 0 3.14 .903 — — — — — — — —
NHL totals 144 49 60 21 7,998 451 1 3.38 .898 — — — — — — — —

International

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Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2023 Canada WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 6 1 0 423 10 1 1.42 .939
Senior totals 7 6 1 0 423 10 1 1.42 —

Awards and honours

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Award Year Ref
QMAAA
Second All-Star Team 2013 [30]
Best Goalie Prospect 2013 [31]
CHL
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game 2015 [32]
QMJHL
Second All-Star Team 2017 [33]
AHL
All-Star Game 2019 [34]

References

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  1. ^ Little, Todd (January 29, 2016). "Florida Panthers Class of 2015 Update". SB Nation. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  2. ^ Brough, Jason (May 10, 2016). "Panthers sign their top goalie prospect Montembeault". NBC Sports. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  3. ^ "Springfield Thunderbirds @ Providence Bruins - Friday, October 13, 2017 Game Summary". TheAHL.com. October 13, 2017. Retrieved October 13, 2017.
  4. ^ "Hartford Wolf Pack @ Springfield Thunderbirds Friday, November 3, 2017 Game Summary". TheAHL.com. November 3, 2017. Retrieved November 3, 2017.
  5. ^ DeFranks, Matthew (May 22, 2018). "Done with first pro season, Panthers goalie prospect Montembeault has "all the talent in the world"". Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved May 22, 2018.
  6. ^ "Panthers recall goaltender Sam Montembeault from Springfield (AHL)". Florida Panthers. February 17, 2019. Retrieved February 18, 2019 – via NHL.com.
  7. ^ "Montembeault's NHL Debut Spoiled, Hurricanes Come Back To Beat Panthers In OT". CBS Miami. March 3, 2019. Retrieved March 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "Canadiens claim Samuel Montembeault off waivers". Montreal Canadiens. October 2, 2021 – via NHL.com.
  9. ^ MacMillan, Ken (October 6, 2021). "Montreal Canadiens: Skaters Give Sam Montembeault No Chance in Only Preseason Action". FanSided.
  10. ^ O'Brien, James (October 7, 2021). "Price on leave from Canadiens, enters player assistance program". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
  11. ^ "Allen out eight weeks for Canadiens with lower-body injury". NHL.com. January 21, 2022. Retrieved February 24, 2022.
  12. ^ "Samuel Montembeault earns Molson Cup for January". Montreal Canadiens. February 8, 2022. Retrieved March 11, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  13. ^ "Suzuki scores two, Montembeault grabs first shutout; Canadiens top Sabres". TSN.ca. February 23, 2022.
  14. ^ Leijon, Erik (April 12, 2022). "Montembeault earns place in Habs' goalie debate". Montreal Gazette.
  15. ^ "Medical update regarding Samuel Montembeault". Montreal Canadiens. May 9, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  16. ^ "G Samuel Montembeault signs two-year extension with Canadiens". Sportsnet.ca. July 18, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  17. ^ Godin, Marc Antoine (December 21, 2022). "Why Sam Montembeault's Canadiens breakout is not surprising to those that know him best". The Athletic.
  18. ^ Cowan, Stu (January 26, 2023). "Canadiens' Sam Montembeault grabs bull by the horns". Montreal Gazette.
  19. ^ Hickey, Pat (January 22, 2023). "Sam Montembeault staking claim to be No. 1 goalie". Montreal Gazette.
  20. ^ Szporer, Ryan Antoine (March 18, 2023). "Canadiens' Goalie Montembeault Lays Claim to No. 1 Job". TheHockeyWriters.com.
  21. ^ "Nick Suzuki wins the Canadiens' Molson Cup Player of the Year". Montreal Canadiens. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  22. ^ a b "End of season blog - April 14". Montreal Canadiens. April 14, 2023. Retrieved April 14, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  23. ^ Galanopoulos, Chris (November 20, 2023). "How Long Will the Montreal Canadiens Keep Three Goalies?". The Hockey News. Retrieved December 1, 2023.
  24. ^ "Three-year contract extension for Samuel Montembeault". Montreal Canadiens. December 1, 2023. Retrieved December 1, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  25. ^ Major-Mcnicol, Tyler (June 1, 2024). "Grading Samuel Montembeault's season". A Winning Habit. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  26. ^ Engels, Eric (October 9, 2024). "Canadiens' Montembeault stays cool under pressure for season-opening win". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  27. ^ Milner, Evan (April 27, 2023). "Montembeault: 'Couldn't be happier' in Montreal". Montreal Canadiens. Retrieved April 27, 2023 – via NHL.com.
  28. ^ "Flames' Weegar, Canadiens' Montembeault lead Canada to win over Latvia at worlds". Sportsnet.ca. May 12, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2023.
  29. ^ Cowan, Stu (May 28, 2023). "Canadiens' Samuel Montembeault is good as gold". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  30. ^ "Awards - QM18AAA Second All-Star Team". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  31. ^ "Awards - QM18AAA Best Goalie Prospect". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  32. ^ "2015 BMO CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game Rosters". CHL.ca. December 17, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  33. ^ "The Golden Puck Awards: an unforgettable evening!". CHL.ca. Cape Breton Screaming Eagles. April 6, 2017. Retrieved July 28, 2024.
  34. ^ Olive, Jameson (January 30, 2019). "AHL All-Star Montembeault making strides in 2nd season with Thunderbirds". Florida Panthers. Retrieved February 14, 2019 – via NHL.com.
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