Montreal reassigns Fucale to Beast

BRAMPTON, Ontario – The Brampton Beast, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League’s Montreal Canadiens, announced that World Junior Hockey Championship Team Canada gold medalist and Memorial Cup champion Zach Fucale has been reassigned to the club by Montreal.

Considered one of the Canadiens’ top goaltending prospects, the 21-year-old netminder has found success at every turn throughout his hockey career. A second-round selection (36th overall) by the Canadiens in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft, Fucale spent his junior career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Halifax Mooseheads and Quebec Remparts from 2011-15.

Fucale was named to the QMJHL All-Rookie team in 2011-12, and the following season he played in 55 games and recorded a 2.35 goals against average to accompany his .909 save percentage. Throughout the regular season, he was twice named the Canadian Hockey League Goaltender of the Week and appeared in the CHL Top Prospects Game. Following the season, he was named to the QMJHL First All-Star Team and went on an unprecedented postseason run and recorded an eye-opening 2.08 goals against average and a .913 save percentage in 17 contests. The Mooseheads went on to win the QMJHL Championship with Fucale leading the way between the pipes. He started all four games in the Memorial Cup and backstopped the Halifax squad all the way to junior hockey supremacy as Memorial Cup champions.

He continued his dominance into the 2013-14 campaign with the Mooseheads, finishing the season with a league-best 2.26 goals-against average in 50 games. His consistent strong performances led to his being named to Team Canada for the World Junior Hockey Championship. In five games played at the World Juniors, Fucale once again performed admirably with a 2.42 goals against average and a .902 save percentage in five games.

The 2014-15 season was another memorable one for Fucale. He was traded from the Mooseheads to the Quebec Remparts, where he once again went on a long run to the Memorial Cup. He appeared in 20 postseason games and recorded a 2.56 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

Arguably the highlight of his season and quite possibly his entire junior career, Fucale once again backstopped Team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championship and helped his squad to a Gold Medal. He was the most dominant goaltender in the tournament and led all goaltenders in goals against average (1.20) and save percentage (.939), capping off an extraordinary junior career.

Fucale joined the professional ranks in the 2015-16 season with the St. John’s IceCaps. In 42 games in his rookie pro season, the Laval, Quebec native posted a 3.13 goals against average and a .903 save percentage.