In the biggest news of the morning (at least until Andreas Athanasiou signs a contract…. tick-tock, Kenny, make something happen), we have a new player coming into the Red Wings family. Per the press release:
DETROIT – The Detroit Red Wings today signed goaltender Kaden Fulcher to a three-year entry-level contract.
Fulcher attended both the Red Wings’ summer development camp and training camp as a free agent invitee prior to earning his first NHL contract. The 19-year-old netminder appeared in 43 games for the Ontario Hockey League’s Hamilton Bulldogs during the 2016-17 season and posted a 19-17-3 record, 3.21 goals-against average, 0.891 save percentage and two shutouts. Fulcher has played in four games for the Bulldogs during the 2017-18 season, posting a 2-1-1 record alongside a 1.92 goals-against average (ranking fourth in the OHL) and a 0.935 save percentage (sixth in the OHL). He is currently a teammate of Reilly Webb, who was a sixth-round draft choice (164th overall) of the Red Wings in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
A 6-foot-3, 182-pound goaltender from Brigden, Ontario, Fulcher has appeared in 64 OHL games with Hamilton and the Sarnia Sting since the 2015-16 campaign, owning a 27-28-8 record, 3.39 goals-against average, 0.890 save percentage and four shutouts. Prior to his major junior career, Fulcher spent two seasons at The Hill Academy (2014-16), a sports school in Vaughn, Ontario, and one season with the Lambton Junior Sting in Ontario’s midget minor ranks (2013-14).
Kaden Fulcher, Goalie
Born Sep 23 1998 — Brigden, ONT
Height 6.03 — Weight 182 – Catches L
Season Team Lge GP Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct
—————————————————————————————–
2015-16 Sarnia Sting OHL 3 182 10 0 0 3.30 2 0 1 81 0.890
2015-16 Hamilton Bulldogs OHL 14 764 57 2 0 4.48 4 10 0 402 0.876
2016-17 Hamilton Bulldogs OHL 43 2393 128 1 2 3.21 19 17 3 1051 0.891
2017-18 Hamilton Bulldogs OHL 4 250 8 0 1 1.92 2 1 1 115 0.935
Overall, it’s tough to call this a bad move of any sort. The kid is young and developing, and goalies are voodoo incarnate so why not take a flyer on one that’s progressing well? Yes, this does bring into question the trade for Tom McCollum over the summer (a questionable move even at the time it happened), but nobody had any guarantee this kid would shine as a camp invite this offseason. The Wings have even done this type of thing before, with Joe Hicketts who earned a contract after impressing as a camp invite. Fulcher will head back to his juniors club where his contract will slide for this year and won’t count against the 50-contract limit.
Let’s hope the young Mr. Fulcher can impress in his young career the same way Hicketts has so far.
