The 2024 QMJHL playoffs got underway last Friday. Less than a week later, the Acadie-Bathurst Titan are already through to the next round. The Titan, a seven-seed, matched up with the Halifax Mooseheads, a two-seed, and promptly dispatched the higher-seeded club in a four-game sweep.
Much of the Titan’s success in the upset can be laid at the feet of Washington Capitals goaltending prospect Antoine Keller. The French-born netminder started all four games of the series and ended up 4-0 with a 1.47 goals-against average and a sparkling .948 save percentage.
Keller stopped 109 of the 115 total shots he faced and did not allow more than two goals in any of the four games. The first two games of the series on the road at Scotiabank Centre finished in 2-1 overtime victories for the Titan.
Voici le top 5 des gardien avec le meilleur pourcentage d’arrêt depuis le début des séries:
1. Nathan Darveau (Vic) 0.952
2. William Rousseau (Rou) 0.950
3. Antoine Keller (Bat) 0.948
4. Rémi Delafontaine (Chi) 0.939
5. Charles-Édward Gravel (BaC) 0.929— Lhjmq Updates (@LhjmqUpdate) April 4, 2024
The 2023-24 season is Keller’s first in North America and he split appearances right down the middle this year for Acadie-Bathurst with Joshua Fleming. In 37 regular season appearances, the 19-year-old Frenchman posted a 17-12-5 record with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage.
He was credited with a goalie goal on December 1, the same night that fellow Capitals prospect Mitch Gibson scored his own goalie goal for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. According to Quant Hockey, Keller was just the 11th goalie in QMJHL history to score a goal.
Keller also made five starts for the U20 French team including four during the 2024 World Junior Championship Division I A tournament where France finished second behind Kazakhstan. The Division I A tournament determines which nation moves up to the top division next year.
The Swiss-trained netminder attended his first Capitals Development Camp in July after being surprised by the Capitals selecting him in the seventh round just days prior. He was the first player in Capitals franchise history to be drafted out of France and only the sixth French player ever drafted overall.
Keller and the rest of the Titan already know their next opponent in the QMJHL’s second round as the Baie-Comeau Drakkar also came up with a four-game sweep in their first round matchup with the Charlottetown Islanders. Baie-Comeau finished as the top seed in the league’s Eastern Conference with a 53-12-2 record.
Keller went 1-0 and stopped 32 of 35 shots in his one start against the Drakkar this season.
