Patrick Williams, TheAHL.com Features Writer
Sometimes offseason plans do not quite pan out. Injuries hit. So do recalls to the NHL parent team. Waiver claims, too. Maybe prospects can be a bit overwhelmed by the transition that the AHL level brings. Whatever the reason, front offices often have to pivot.
Nowhere can that need be more pressing than in net. Even the best-constructed team needs dependability in net to both facilitate development and to win games.
Here are three AHL teams that for one reason or another have changed their goaltending plans on the fly through the first quarter of the 2025-26 season.
Charlotte Checkers
Last year’s duo of Kaapo Kähkönen and Ken Appleby moved on from the Florida Panthers organization, turning Charlotte’s crease over to Cooper Black and Kirill Gerasimyuk. Black, 24, made 17 appearances with the Checkers as a rookie last season; Gerasimyuk, 22, was a fifth-round draft pick in 2021 who spent the last six years in Russia’s minor leagues.
To fill a need for veteran leadership, Charlotte inked Louis Domingue to an AHL contract last month. Domingue, who began the season in the Kontinental Hockey League, has 226 games of experience at the AHL level along with 144 games in the NHL, making him an easy plug-and-play option. The 14-year pro made his Checkers debut last weekend against Rochester.
Hartford Wolf Pack
Domingue’s offseason exit from the New York Rangers left an opening in Hartford, where he had spent the last three years teamed with prospect Dylan Garand. The 23-year-old Garand, an AHL All-Star last season, was drafted by the Rangers in 2020 and signed a one-year contract extension over the summer.
Callum Tung, Talyn Boyko and Hugo Ollas are all on the depth chart also, but the Rangers wanted mentorship for Garand in net. So in came Spencer Martin, who signed a two-year contract with the Rangers on Nov. 12. Martin, now in his 11th pro season, had his first 20-win season with the Chicago Wolves in 2024-25 and stopped 35 shots in his Wolf Pack debut, a 3-2 win at Cleveland on Nov. 29.
Chicago Wolves
Cayden Primeau seemed to be the original play for the Chicago crease. It eventually worked out, albeit with a detour.
Following an excellent second half last season with Laval, Primeau signed as a free agent with the Carolina Hurricanes. He could offer excellent organizational help as the Wolves’ top goaltending option while also being a reliable recall option for the Hurricanes as needed.
After having spent his entire career with the Montreal organization, Primeau was claimed off waivers by Toronto coming out of training camp and played three games for the Maple Leafs before being waived again. Carolina claimed him back on Nov. 8 and assigned him to Chicago.
Starting with his Wolves debut on Nov. 12, Primeau has started eight of Chicago’s last 11 games.