Red Wings calling
At 19, goaltender Kaden Fulcher signs entry-level contract with Detroit.
In the span of a few hours Tuesday afternoon, goalie Kaden Fulcher signed a contract with the Detroit Red Wings … and the Hamilton Bulldogs inked a promising young goaltending prospect. Coincidence or conspiracy? The former, according to Steve Staios.
The Bulldogs general manager said Wednesday a commitment from 16-year-old netminder Zach Roy was months in the making and the timing of the announcement had nothing to do with Fulcher’s big news. “All along this was the plan,” he added.
Staios also said neither announcement will affect the team’s strategy between the pipes this season — Fulcher is still No. 1 with Nick Donofrio as his backup. The one difference is the Bulldogs are now able to call on Roy later in the season if, as the GM put it, “we get into any issues.”
Fulcher, 19, was signed to a three-year entry level contract after attending development camp with the Red Wings as a free agent this summer and training camp this fall. They extended the invite almost immediately after he was passed over at the NHL Draft in June.
In retrospect, the six-foot-three, 182-pound goaltender from Brigden, Ont., said the draft snub was probably the best thing that could have happened to him. It was disappointing, sure, but it also made him determined to go out and prove every team that overlooked him wrong.
He also said he’s thankful Detroit gave him the opportunity. “I don’t want to let them down. It’s an unbelievable organization and, I think, the best fit for me.”
Staios, meanwhile, said Fulcher, who was exceptional in three back-to-back-to-back starts last weekend, is a testament to the fact “that if you do things right it pays off.” He’s really proud of him, too, “because he took it upon himself to go out and grab it.”
Through four games this season, Fulcher has a 2-1-0-1 record with one shutout, a 1.92 goalsagainst average and a 0.935 save percentage — all of which put him among the top goaltenders in the league.
That’s a positive sign for him and the Bulldogs, who were in need of stability in net after the departure of overager Dawson Carty.
At five-foot-11 and 165 pounds, Roy might not have Fulcher’s size. He does, however, have an impressive resumé. Last season, the 16-year-old Callander, Ont., native led the midget AAA Toronto Nationals to the best record in the GTHL before being drafted by the Bulldogs in the fourth round of the OHL Priority Selection. He was also named to the allstar team at the OHL Cup and invited to Hockey Canada’s elite goaltending camp over the summer.
Roy is playing for the Jr. A Rockland Nationals in the Central Canada Hockey League. He has a 3.20 goals-against average and 0.902 save percentage through four games. NOTES: Connor Roberts has earned a ‘C’ rating on NHL Central Scouting’s Players to Watch list, which denotes a fourth-, fifth- or sixth-round candidate for the 2018 draft. A six-foot-four, 210-pound centre, Roberts was the only Bulldog to make the grade so far this season. … FirstOntario Centre is hosting an exhibition between Canada and Switzerland in the lead-up to this year’s World Junior Championship. Tickets for the Dec. 22 game can be purchased starting Wednesday at Ticketmaster, by phone at 905-529-8500 or at the FirstOntario Centre box office.