Marc-Andre Fleury of the Chicago Blackhawks, Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets, Braden Holtby of the Dallas Stars, Carey Price of the Montreal Canadiens and Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning are among the active goalies who played in the AHL before going on to win the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the best goalie during the NHL regular season.
For European-trained goalies, the AHL offers a first taste of the North American pro game. For any goalie, regardless of background, the AHL provides a demanding schedule, plenty of shots, and a rambunctious style of play, a perfect recipe for preparation to play in the NHL.
Here is a look at some of the newest goalies preparing for the NHL with an AHL apprenticeship (in alphabetical order)
Hugo Alnefelt, Syracuse (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Patience has long been a hallmark of the Lightning development system.
That approach continues with Alnefelt (6-foot-2, 177 pounds), a third-round pick (No. 71) by the Lightning in the 2019 NHL Draft. They are pairing the 20-year-old with fellow newcomer Amir Miftakhov, another promising prospect.
Alnefelt brings two seasons of high-level pro experience with him to the AHL. With HV71 (Swedish Hockey League), he was 5-16-0 last season with a 3.16 goals-against average and .904 save percentage.
With Sweden, Alnefelt won a gold medal at the 2019 Under-18 World Junior Championship. The following year, he won a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship.
He has taken a heavy workload in the AHL and is 2-2-1 with a 3.03 GAA and .883 save percentage for Syracuse, which plays in the tough North Division.
Justus Annunen, Colorado (Colorado Avalanche)
Colorado is trying to dig out from a slow start, and Annunen (6-4, 210) will be a key part of the journey.
Colorado is leaning heavily on Annunen, who had started the first eight games. The 21-year-old is 2-3-1 with a 3.31 GAA and .875 save percentage. The Avalanche selected Annunen in the third round (No. 64) of the 2018 NHL Draft and let him have two full seasons in Finland (Liiga) before bringing him to their AHL affiliate late last season.
Playing for Karpat Oulu, he was 15-5-3 in 2019-20. His 1.77 GAA and .929 save percentage each led Liiga goalies. That season he was named a top-three player for Finland at the World Junior Championship.
Joel Hofer, Springfield (St. Louis Blues)
The 21-year-old was recalled Monday after a strong start with Springfield but has yet to play an NHL game.
The Blues selected Hofer (6-5, 179) in the fourth round (No. 107) of the 2018 draft. Though he played 10 games with Utica in the abbreviated 2020-21 AHL season as part of a dual affiliation with the Vancouver Canucks, he still qualifies as a rookie by league rules and has thrived as part of a sole affiliate alongside veteran Charlie Lindgren.
Before turning pro, Hofer led Canada to a gold medal at the 2020 World Junior Championship. His 5-0-0 record with a 1.30 GAA and .946 save percentage won him a spot on the tournament all-star team.
Filip Lindberg, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Pittsburgh Penguins)
The Penguins may have found a free agent bargain in Lindberg (6-0, 180), who turned pro after three seasons at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst (NCAA).
Lindberg was named AHL Goaltender of the Month in October, his first month as a pro, after going 4-0-0 with a 1.71 GAA and .942 save percentage.
Before turning pro, he led Massachusetts to the 2021 NCAA national championship and finished 29-10-6 with a 1.58 GAA and a .937 save percentage in 50 games. He also helped Finland win a gold medal at the 2019 World Junior Championship.
Selected by the Minnesota Wild in the seventh round (No. 197) of the 2019 draft, the 22-year-old signed a two-year entry-level contract with Pittsburgh on July 28.
Eetu Makiniemi, Chicago (Carolina Hurricanes)
Makiniemi (6-2, 184) is another Liiga-trained goalie making the transition to the AHL.
Last season with Ilves Tampere, Makiniemi went 13-14-7 in 34 regular-season games and had a 2.59 GAA and .907 save percentage. The 22-year-old, selected by Carolina in the fourth round (No. 104) of the 2017 NHL Draft, is thriving with a team that looks like a potential Calder Cup contender.
Makiniemi is 3-0-0 with a 1.68 GAA and .947 save percentage. In his AHL debut Oct. 22, he made 41 saves, 16 in the third period, in a 3-2 win against Milwaukee (Nashville Predators).
