Published on October 17, 2024 at 2:59 p.m. Axel Meunier
The young French prodigy Antoine Keller, selected in the 2023 NHL draft, signed a clean sheet in the Champions League during Lausanne’s victory in Finland against Tappara (2-0), his first in his career.
Considered one of the great hopes of French hockey, Antoine Keller continues to make an impression with another exceptional performance. Drafted by the Washington Capitals during the 2023 NHL draft, he was loaned to Lausanne HC for the season, and the young Frenchman continues to impress. At only 20 years and 10 days old, the goalkeeper achieved a feat this Wednesday in the European Cup (CHL) by signing a shutout (match without conceding a goal) during Lausanne’s 2-0 victory against Tappara in Finland, his very first in his career. This match, played on the final day of the CHL group stage, saw Keller make 15 decisive saves to keep his team safe from an opposing comeback.
A feat for the young French hopeful
Even though both teams were already qualified for the round of 16, this type of performance is still remarkable, especially for such a young player. He is now one of a select group of goalkeepers to have achieved a shutout at this age in top-level professional competitions, moving closer to legends like Marc-André Fleury and Patrick Roy, who had achieved similar feats at 18 respectively. and 20 years old. Antoine Keller is not making his first splash this season. With already six games under the colors of Lausanne, including two in the CHL, the young player displays impressive statistics including a save percentage of 97.3% in the European Cup and only one goal conceded in two games. In the Swiss championship, he has an average of 2.93 goals conceded per match, very encouraging figures for a goalkeeper of his age who is making full progress. He also made his debut with the French senior team last spring, proving that he already has all the potential to establish himself at the highest level in the years to come.
