Jack LaFontaine (born January 6, 1998) is a Canadian professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

goaltender In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...

currently playing for the

Coachella Valley Firebirds The Coachella Valley Firebirds are a professional ice hockey expansion team based in Thousand Palms, California, that began play in the 2022–23 American Hockey League (AHL) season. The team is an owned-and-operated affiliate of the Seattle Kra ...

of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...

(AHL). He was drafted 75th overall by the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...

in the

2016 NHL Entry Draft The 2016 NHL Entry Draft was the 54th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 24–25, 2016 at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York. The first three selections were Auston Matthews going to the Toronto Maple Leafs, Patrik Laine go ...

Playing career

Junior

After spending two seasons at Michigan, primarily serving as a backup goaltender, LaFontaine signed with the

Penticton Vees The Penticton Vees are a junior "A" ice hockey team from Penticton, British Columbia, Canada. They are a part of the British Columbia Hockey League. The junior Vees were founded in 1961, sharing the name of the senior hockey team, the Penticton V ...

of the

British Columbia Hockey League The British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) is a Junior A ice hockey league from British Columbia under Hockey Canada and BC Hockey. Founded in Vernon in 1961, the BCHL now includes 18 teams. From 1993 to 2021, the league was a member of the Ca ...

(BCHL) on June 18, 2018. During the 2018–19 season, he posted a 30–13–1 record with a 2.19 goals-against average (GAA) and .923 save percentage. Following an outstanding season, he was named BCHL's Top Goaltender.

College

LaFontaine began his collegiate career for the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

during the 2016–17 season. During his freshman season, he appeared in 11 games, where he posted a 1–7–1 record, with a 3.34 GAA and .911 save percentage. During his sophomore season, he appeared in 11 games, where he posted a 4–4 record, with a 3.51 GAA and .889 save percentage. On August 20, 2019, LaFontaine enrolled at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

. During his junior season, he posted a 9–9–6 record, with a 2.55 GAA and .919 save percentage, in a

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

shortened season. He made his debut for the Gophers on October 11, 2019, in a game against

Colorado College Colorado College is a private liberal arts college in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was founded in 1874 by Thomas Nelson Haskell in his daughter's memory. The college enrolls approximately 2,000 undergraduates at its campus. The college offer ...

. During his senior season, LaFontaine was the national leader in wins (21–6–0) and save percentage (.936) while ranking second in goals against average (1.74), among goalies that have started at least half their team's games. He was tied for second nationally in shutouts with five. He entered the NCAA tournament having allowed two goals or fewer in 26 of his last 21 starts dating back to the end of the 2019–20 season. LaFontaine set two program records for single-season save percentage (.934) and single-season goals against average (1.79). Following an outstanding season, he was named to the All-Big Ten First Team, Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, and awarded the

Mike Richter Award The Mike Richter Award is an annual award given to the goaltender voted to be the most outstanding in Division I NCAA men's ice hockey during the regular season. The award is named in honor of former Wisconsin goaltender Mike Richter. The inaugur ...

. On April 2, 2021, LaFontaine announced he would return to Minnesota for a fifth year during the 2021–22 season. On January 9, 2022, LaFontaine signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the

Professional

On January 9, 2022, LaFontaine signed a one-year, entry-level contract with the

. After appearing in two games with the Hurricanes, LaFontaine would split the rest of the season between the AHL and ECHL. As an impending restricted free agent following the conclusion of his entry-level contract, LaFontaine was released as a free agent after he was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Hurricanes. On July 25, 2022, LaFontaine was signed to a one-year AHL contract with the

Syracuse Crunch The Syracuse Crunch are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). They play in Syracuse, New York, at the Upstate Medical University Arena. They are the primary development affiliate of the National Hockey League's Tampa ...

, the primary affiliate to the

Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...

. During the 2022–23 season, LaFontaine was suspended six games after leaving the players’ bench during an altercation and attempting to fight

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

goaltender

Malcolm Subban Malcolm-Jamaal Justin Subban (born December 21, 1993) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender under contract to the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). Subban was selected by the Boston Bruins in the first round (24th ...

at the conclusion of the third period. As a free agent at the conclusion of his contract with the Crunch, LaFontaine continued his career in the AHL by agreeing to a one-year contract with the Coachella Valley Firebirds on August 23, 2023.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:LaFontaine, Jack 1998 births Living people AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans Canadian ice hockey goaltenders Carolina Hurricanes draft picks Carolina Hurricanes players Chicago Wolves players Coachella Valley Firebirds players Kansas City Mavericks players Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey players Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players Norfolk Admirals (ECHL) players Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) players Penticton Vees players Ice hockey people from Mississauga