Sam Montembeault Explained

Samuel Montembeault
Nickname:Monty
Birth Date:1996 10, mf=yes
Birth Place:Bécancour, Quebec, Canada
Height Ft:6
Height In:3
Weight Lb:222
Position:Goaltender
Catches:Left
League:NHL
Team:Montreal Canadiens
Former Teams:Florida Panthers
Ntl Team:Canada
Draft:77th overall
Draft Year:2015
Draft Team:Florida Panthers
Career Start:2015

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

Junior

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

Florida Panthers

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 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

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]

International play

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.[25] 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.[26] 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.[27]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPWLOTMINGASOGAASV%GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
2011–12Trois-Rivières EstacadesQMAAA10001000.001.000
2012–13Trois-Rivières EstacadesQMAAA19117111104712.54.9156422.79.915
2013–14Blainville-Boisbriand ArmadaQMJHL149117142802.35.89811053303.40.824
2014–15Blainville-Boisbriand ArmadaQMJHL5233117310413432.59.8916243531402.38.878
2015–16Blainville-Boisbriand ArmadaQMJHL4717198271111932.63.90111556852812.45.925
2016–17Blainville-Boisbriand ArmadaQMJHL41289122268962.40.9071812610704202.35.910
2017–18Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL4113233219611923.25.896
2018–19Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL3913168218811813.24.899
2018–19Florida PanthersNHL114325923003.05.894
2019–20Florida PanthersNHL145517013903.34.890
2019–20Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL115516593313.00.918
2020–21Syracuse CrunchAHL138417753712.86.898
2021–22Montreal CanadiensNHL388186194312213.77.891
2022–23Montreal CanadiensNHL4016193233413303.42.901
2023–24Montreal CanadiensNHL4116159242912703.14.903
NHL totals1444960217,99845113.38.898

International

YearTeamEventResultGPWLOTMINGASOGAASV%
2023CanadaWC76104231011.42.939
Senior totals76104231011.42

Awards and honours

AwardYearRef
Second All-Star Team2013[28]
Best Goalie Prospect2013[29]
CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game2015[30]
QMJHL
Second All-Star Team2017[31]
All-Star Game2019[32]

Notes and References

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