As was speculated yesterday after the loss to Cornell, goaltender Cayden Primeau has signed his three year, entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens. He will report to the AHL’s Laval Rocket on a Professional Tryout Contract for the remainder of this season, before his contract kicks in next year.
In a press release from the university, Head Coach Jim Madigan was quoted as saying “Cayden Primeau is the best goaltender in Northeastern history. From the minute he stepped on campus a season ago, he conducted himself as a true professional, on and off the ice, and was the ultimate teammate. He helped take our program to unprecedented heights, and his shoes will be difficult to fill, but we are excited for him to take the next step in his hockey career and we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”
We echo these sentiments by Coach whole-heartedly. In two seasons, Primeau has set program records for goals-against-average (2.00_ as well as save percentage (.932), while climbing to third in shutouts with eight, and to fifth in wins (44). He racked up the accolades as well: two Beanpot trophies, one Hockey East Championship, Beanpot MVP, Hockey East Tournament MVP, the Eberly Award, Hockey East First Team All-Star, Richter Award Finalist. He even got to play in the World Junior Championships this past year, earning a silver medal as Team USA’s backbone.
Every game that he started for the Huskies, there was a confidence among the fans and the team alike that as long as #31 was between the pipes, the Huskies had a solid chance of victory. Games against St. Cloud State, UMass, Boston College and Boston University were showcases to his elite talent and prowess for the big stage, which will serve him well at the professional level.
I met Cayden Primeau in February 2015 at the Beanpot tournament, and even then you could see how excited he was to be a part of Northeastern hockey. He has always been dedicated to the program, keeping his commitment from that young age, and the coaching staff has rightfully believed in him even when the junior hockey statistics were not eye-popping. Primeau rewarded their faith with two stellar seasons the likes of which were never seen on campus before, and will be hard to match or replace going forward.