The Surrey Eagles have acquired 20-year-old goaltender Marc Audet from the Kirkland Lake Gold Miners of the NOJHL. Audet split last season between the NOJHL and Acadie-Bathurst of the QMJHL. He also spent time with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar earlier in his career.
In Audet’s eight games with the Gold Miners, he posted a .915 save percentage and 2.47 goals-against-average. The native of Thunder Bay, Ontario will replace former starting goaltender Justin Laforest, who finished his junior career at the end of last season.
Audet has a large frame, weighing in at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds, and scouting reports say that he moves extremely well around the crease for a bigger goaltender. He is a good skater, and used that ability to achieve success in the high-scoring Quebec league. He will likely benefit from playing in a more defensive-minded league like the BCHL.
He got off to a lightning-quick start in 2015-16, stopping 145 shots in his first four games of the season with Acadie-Bathurst – good for a .912 save percentage during that stretch. He would only appear in six more games for them after having his season disrupted by an injury in January.
In return, the Eagles have sent forward Gunnar Wegleitner to Kirkland Lake. Wegleitner had one goal and one assist in 14 games with the team last season, missing time with a shoulder injury. The team would like to thank him for his time with the club, and wish him the best with his new organization in Ontario.
This is the second trade that the Eagles have made this offseason, after re-acquiring Darius Davidson from the Penticton Vees earlier in the summer.
The 2016-17 BCHL season officially begins on September 9th, as the Eagles host the visiting Coquitlam Express. Keep checking SurreyEagles.ca for ticket information!
