When you’re a hockey goaltender, there’s no escaping the spotlight.
Everyone in the arena knows where you are at all times. You’re the heavily padded guy in that 6-foot area between the pipes in front of the goal. Every success and failure is magnified.
The Coachella Valley Firebirds were fortunate last season to have a goalie in Joey Daccord whose successes were many and failures were few. Almost immediately, Daccord became a fan favorite, and that status grew throughout the year. Fans chanted “Jo-ey! Jo-ey!” after every great save, T-shirts with Daccord’s face on a brick wall surfaced, and it wouldn’t be unusual to see a “Marry Me, Joey!” sign in the crowd.
“Joey’s one of those kids that has a very magnetic personality, and people are drawn to him and he’s fun,” said Firebirds goaltending coach Colin Zulianello. “He competes so hard on the ice that fans can visibly see the type of person he is and the type of goaltender he is. Obviously, neither he nor I had seen a fan base embrace a goaltender so well or at least so vocally, and I think that for sure lifted him in some games.”
But that was last year. All signs point to Daccord playing with the Firebirds’ NHL affiliate the Seattle Kraken this year. That void left by Daccord is the biggest question mark for a Firebirds team that will return many of their top players.
So with the new season beginning Oct. 13, let’s try to answer that question: Who will handle the goaltending duties for the Firebirds this season?
The candidates
Right now four goalies are currently on the roster with the Seattle Kraken as they finish the preseason and prepare for their NHL opener on Tuesday, Oct. 10. An NHL team typically keeps two goalies, so it stands to reason that the other two guys who don’t make the Kraken opening day roster will be Firebirds.
Philipp Grubauer is the No. 1 goal in the Kraken organization and will be the starter on opening day, so cross him off the list of potential Firebirds.
Joey Daccord: Daccord and Chris Driedger, who also spent a lot of time on the Firebirds roster last year, are competing for the No. 2 job, the backup goalie for the Kraken. Daccord was a free agent this summer, but the Kraken showed their dedication to him by signing him to a two-year deal worth $1.2 million per year.
The logical takeaway from that signing is that they see the 26-year-old Daccord as a large part of their goaltender plans going forward. That coupled with his continued excellent play in the preseason games makes it likely that Daccord will start the season with the Kraken. The door is not officially closed on him being with the Firebirds, but it seems doubtful.
Also, now that he has an NHL contract, if Daccord were to be sent down to the Firebirds, he would have to clear waivers, meaning any other team could swoop in and claim him, take over his contract and have him on their NHL club. That would be a risky proposition for the organization so that’s another reason Daccord will likely stay with the big club. Chance he’s a Firebird on opening day: 1%
Chris Driedger: At 29 years old, Driedger is considered a veteran in hockey circles. He spent time with the Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers before the Kraken signed him to a hefty three-year, $10.5 million contract on July 21, 2021. So he is making $3.5 million this season in the last year of his contract.
He has played 65 games at the NHL level including 27 with the Kraken in the 2021-22 season where he went 9-14-1. Driedger played 14 games with the Firebirds last season, going 9-4 with a solid 2.61 goals per game average.
Reading the tea leaves, it seems likely that Driedger may very well be the Firebirds’ opening day starter. Like Daccord, if he was sent to the Firebirds he would have to clear waivers, but with his large salary, it’s unlikely another team would want to take that on. So the risk of losing him is less than in Daccord’s case. Chance he’s a Firebird on opening day: 90%
Ales Stezka: Now this will be a new name to Firebirds fans, but it’s one to get to know. The team signed Stezka to a one-year “two-way” contract in May, and on Thursday morning he was sent down to the Firebirds, almost certainly signifying that he will be one of the goalies on the team’s opening-day roster. (Note: His first name is pronounced with an “sh” sound at the end like ah-lesh, just in case the time comes when fans need to chant it.)
Stezka is from the Czech Republic and he’s big. The 26-year-old is 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. He’s been playing in Europe for most of his career after being a draft pick of the Minnesota Wild and had been up with the Kraken this fall as the No. 4 goalie on the roster before being assigned to the desert Thursday.
“He was drafted by the Wild but has elected to head overseas and play some pro hockey in the Czech Republic, and he had the best numbers in the postseason in that league,” Zulianello said. “He’s an extremely hard-working kid and we’re looking forward to having him with us here in Coachella if that time comes.” Chance he’s a Firebird on opening day: 99.9%
Jack LaFontaine: The Firebirds began their training camp in the desert on Sunday, and while the top four net-minders were in Seattle, newly acquired LaFontaine has been in the desert working with the coaching staff and trying to make an impression. Expect LaFontaine to be between the pipes for the exhibition games on Friday and Sunday. He’s excited about this opportunity after the Firebirds signed him as a free agent from the Tampa Bay Lightning organization.
“This is my third organization in as many years. Each time it’s an opportunity, right? A fresh slate,” said LaFontaine, who is no relation to hockey Hall of Famer Pat LaFontaine. “I’m excited for the opportunity to impress people above and living in Coachella now, I mean how could you be upset about wearing flip-flops and shorts to the rink every day.”
While it’s likely that LaFontaine will start the season with the Kansas City Mavericks, the ECHL team affiliated with the Firebirds and Kraken, these two weeks in the desert are valuable for him. He impressed Zulianello by reaching out to him right after he was signed and not waiting for Zulianello to contact him.
“Jack is a very good goaltender, very capable, he’s played at the NHL already and played considerable minutes in the AHL as well,” Zulianello said, referring to LaFontaine’s two NHL games with the Carolina Hurricanes and AHL stints on the Chicago Wolves and Syracuse Crunch. “A lot to like about Jack’s game, he’s come into camp ready to perform. He’s in great condition. A lot of positive attributes to Jack.” Chance he’s a Firebird on opening day: 10%
The takeaway
Last year, Daccord emerged as the clear No. 1 guy for the Firebirds, but when the season started there was no guarantee he would become such a star. Head coach Dan Bylsma said he expects the goalie position this year to unfold in a similar way. The start of the season may see some split time in net before “the guy” proves himself.
“Generally speaking in the American Hockey League, the situation is different every year,” Bylsma said. “Joey Daccord was our No. 1 goalie and played every game of the playoffs, but he kind of earned that right over the course of the year. Early in the season, he split the net with Gibby (Chris Gibson currently an unsigned free agent) and some other guys. I think through the season, I’d expect the same thing this year, where, with their play, they’ll prove where they should be.”
Whether it’s Driedger, Stezka, LaFontaine or a player still to be discovered — five different men started a game in goal for the Firebirds last year — it’s unlikely any will catch lightning in a bottle the way Daccord did.
“I’ll tell whoever that is, that their job isn’t to replicate what we did last year,” Zulianello said. “None of our jobs is to do that, because no two seasons are the same. Pro hockey is a fluid business. Things are always in flux, so I think whoever’s between the pipes, their job doesn’t really change. Their job is to stop the puck, and the more often they do that the more often they’ll hear similar cheers to Joey.”
Shad Powers is a columnist for The Desert Sun. Reach him at shad.powers@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Coachella Valley Firebirds burning question: Who’ll play goalie this year?
