Antoine Keller will have a new home for the next two seasons. Lausanne HC of Switzerland’s National League announced they signed the French-born netminder to a two-year contract Tuesday morning.
The 19-year-old backstop played his first season in North America this past year with the QMJHL’s Acadie-Bathurst Titan. In 37 regular season appearances, Keller posted a 17-12-5 record with a 3.05 goals-against average and a .897 save percentage. He starred in the QMJHL playoffs, going 4-2-1 with a 2.35 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
Bienvenue Antoine 🔴⚪️
Communiqué ➡️ https://t.co/IPCgTHJo7x pic.twitter.com/3S6WvVrLAT
— Lausanne Hockey Club (@lausannehc) June 4, 2024
The Washington Capitals selected Keller with one of their seventh-round draft selections in last year’s draft. He was the first player in Caps franchise history to be drafted out of France and only the sixth French player ever drafted overall.
While with Lausanne, Keller will be coached by one of those other French-born draft picks. Cristobal Huet, former Capitals goaltender and fellow seventh-round draft pick, is the current goaltending coach at the club.
“Antoine has an undeniable talent which will help us a lot in building the future of the club,” Lausanne sports director John Fust said as translated via Google Translate. “He is a hardworking boy who has made rapid progress. I trust Cristobal Huet and our staff to supervise him well so that he develops in the best possible way in our organization.”
Keller is no stranger to the various levels of hockey in Switzerland. He packed up his life at just 13 years old and moved to the country to further his hockey career. Washington drafted him after his fifth season in Genève-Servette’s youth setup.
“Swiss hockey is better than French hockey,” he told RMNB last July. “So to go pro? I need to go to Geneva.”
Keller has played against men in Switzerland before this move, spending five games on loan to HCV Martigny in the third tier of Swiss hockey in his draft year. He recorded a 2-1-1 record with a 2.42 goals-against average during that stint.
Though he plays for France internationally, his mask displays both the French and Swiss flags crossed over one another as a tribute to his time spent in both nations.
“[I wear the mask] because I’m French and Swiss,” he said. “Yes, I grow up in France, but I love being Swiss too. Both my countries so I just put it on my mask.”
The National League preseason gets underway much sooner than leagues in North America with Lausanne playing their first prep game on August 12 last season. Keller attended last year’s Capitals Development Camp and could be back for his second in late June/early July.
