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Sam Montembeault
Canadian ice hockey player (born 1996) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Samuel Montembeault (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃tɑ̃bo] ; 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.
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Playing career
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Junior
Montembeault first played midget hockey in his native Quebec, with the Trois-Rivières Estacades of the Quebec Junior AAA Hockey League (QMAAA) from 2011 to 2013.[1] Showing early promise as the starting goaltender with the Estacades, Montembeault was named to the QMAAA Second All-Star Team and received the league's Best Goalie Prospect award for the 2012–13 season.[2] He was then selected 40th overall by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the 2013 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) entry draft.[3]
After appearing in a career high 52 games with the Armada during his second QMJHL season in 2014–15,[4] Montembeault was selected by the Florida Panthers in the third round (77th overall) of the 2015 NHL entry draft.[5]
In the following QMJHL season, he recorded a 17–19–8 record with a 2.63 goals against average (GAA), .901 save percentage, along with three shutouts. Leading the Armada into the postseason, Montembeault was named the Vaughn Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week in early April after earning a 3–1 record, 2.27 GAA and .933 save percentage during Blainville's first round playoff series win against the Val-d'Or Foreurs.[6] Collectively, Montembeault finished the postseason with a 2.45 GAA, .925 save percentage and one shutout.
On May 10, 2016, Montembeault was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers.[7] He subsequently returned for his final season of major junior with the Armada, establishing new career highs with both a 2.40 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 2016–17.
Professional
Florida Panthers
Montembeault first attended the Panthers' training camp in 2017 before reassignment to the American Hockey League (AHL) with affiliate, the Springfield Thunderbirds. On October 13, 2017, he made 25 saves in a 3–2 defeat to the Providence Bruins, being his professional debut for the Thunderbirds.[8] Montembeault 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.[9] With Springfield finishing well out of Calder Cup playoff contention, Montembeault compiled a total of 13 wins through 41 games during the 2017–18 season.[10]
Montembeault was again re-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.[11] 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.[12]
Montreal Canadiens
On October 1, 2021, Montembeault was placed on waivers by the Panthers whereas he was claimed by the Montreal Canadiens the following day.[13] He made his Canadiens debut a few days later in a 6–2 preseason loss against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but was widely credited for a strong performance despite weak defending by the team.[14] With starting goaltender Carey Price taking a leave of absence for mental health reasons, Montembeault became the primary backup goaltender to veteran Jake Allen.[15] Following an injury to Allen on January 12, 2022 in a game against the Boston Bruins, Montembeault intermittently became the Canadiens' starting goaltender for a period of two months.[16] Over the course of this run, he became the first goaltender in team history to post 48+ saves in two consecutives games[17] and earned his first career NHL shutout win against the Buffalo Sabres on February 23.[18] 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.[19] At the conclusion of the season, Montembeault underwent corrective wrist surgery.[20]
On July 18, 2022, Montembeault was re-signed to a two-year, $2 million contract extension with the Canadiens.[21] Beginning the 2022–23 season as Allen's backup, he was soon noted for markedly improved performance, particularly when evaluated by advanced statistics.[22] After yet another injury to Allen in January 2023 necessitated Montembeault taking over the starter role, he appeared in eight straight games, posting a 4–4–0 record with a .930 save percentage in that span. Kent Hughes, the team's general manager, praised his play and said "he still has a lot to experience as a goalie, but we see the potential. So Sam definitely isn't going anywhere."[23] Discussion then ensued amongst sports media of whether Montembeault should be treated as the team's main goaltender on a long-term basis.[24] Upon Allen's return, the two largely alternated starts on an equal basis.[25] Following the season, Montembeault finished second to captain Nick Suzuki for the Molson Cup honor as team player of the year.[26]
With prospect goaltender Cayden Primeau no longer exempt from waivers entering the 2023–24 season, the Canadiens began play with a rotation of three goaltenders that included both Montembeault as well as Jake Allen.[27] Montembeault appeared in ten games in the first two months of the season, going 5–3–1 and recording 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.[28] He ultimately appeared in 41 total games, a new career high, with a 16-15-9 record and a .903 save percentage.[29]
Montembeault had a 48-save shutout victory in the Canadiens' 2024–25 season opener against the Maple Leafs, setting an NHL record for the most saves in a season-opening shutout.[30] Thereafter, he would register his 17th win of the campaign on January 21, 2025, establishing a new career best over the course of a full season.[31] With a 31–24–7 record over 62 appearances and a .902 save percentage, he was again the team's Molson Cup runner-up behind Suzuki.[32] Montembeault was credited with a key role in the Canadiens qualifying for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in four years.[33] He started his first NHL playoff game on April 21, making 29 saves in a 3–2 overtime loss to the Washington Capitals.[34] In the third game of the series, with the Canadiens and Capitals tied 2–2, he was forced to exit with an apparent injury, yielding the net to rookie Jakub Dobeš. Capitals starting goaltender Logan Thompson subsequently also departed due to injury, and the Canadiens would ultimately win the game 6–3.[35] Montembeault would be sidelined for the remainder of the series, with later confirmation that he had torn two groin muscles which would not require surgical intervention.[36]
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Personal life
As a youth, Montembeault was an avid fan of the Boston Red Sox and himself played baseball, primarily in the catcher position.[37][38] He has one sibling, a brother named Matthieu.[39]
Montembeault met his fiancée, fellow Québécois Daryanne Ayotte, while playing for the QMJHL's Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in 2017.[40] The couple were engaged in September 2024.[41]
International play
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Internationally, Montembeault first represented Team Canada at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships,[42] however, as the team's third goaltender, did not see any tournament play.[43]
Following the Montreal Canadiens not qualifying for the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs, Montembeault accepted an invitation to join the Canadian national senior team for the ensuing IIHF World Championships.[44] In his first international appearance, he recorded a shutout victory over Latvia.[45] Ultimately starting seven of his country's ten games, including all in the knockout rounds, Montembeault posted a 1.42 GAA and a .939 save percentage en route to Canada winning the championship final.[46]
In December 2024, Montembeault was named as one of three goaltenders, alongside Jordan Binnington and Adin Hill, to the Canadian roster for the NHL-sanctioned 4 Nations Face-Off held in the midst of the 2024–25 campaign.[47][48] Assuming the role as Canada's third goaltender,[49] he ultimately did not see any game action throughout, but nonetheless won a gold medal following their overtime defeat of archrivals the United States on February 20, 2025 in the tournament final.[50][51]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
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Awards and honours
References
External links
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