The Washington Capitals wrapped up their 2023 draft by trading back into the seventh round, sending the San Jose Sharks a 2025 seventh-round pick to do so. With their new pick, they took a trip to Dijon, France, and selected goaltender Antoine Keller.
Keller has played the majority of his junior career in Switzerland. He is the first player in Caps franchise history to be drafted out of France and only the sixth French player ever drafted overall.
With the 206th pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, the Washington Capitals are proud to select Antoine Keller! #CapsDraft | @MedStarHealth pic.twitter.com/Is1pSH4ap6
— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) June 29, 2023
Keller spent the bulk of last season with Geneve-Servette’s J20 Elit team where he posted a 8-13-2 record with a 3.40 goals-against average. He played five games on loan to HCV Martigny in the third tier of Swiss hockey, recording a 2-1-1 record with a 2.42 goals-against average.
The 18-year-old, six-foot, three-inch netminder has played for France at the national junior level for the past four years. He was rock solid for the U-20 French team in 2022-23, posting a 3-4 record with a .920 save percentage and a 2.15 goals-against average.
If you speak French or want to read translated subtitles, here’s a one-on-one interview he did in 2022.
If Keller were to ever play a game for the Caps he actually would not be the first French goaltender to do so. Cristobal Huet, who was born in St-Martin-d’Heres, France, played 20 games for the team across the 2007-08 regular season and playoffs.
Headline photo: Elizabeth Kong/RMNB
