Ex-World Junior Goaltender Signs Try-Out With San Jose Sharks AHL Team

The San Jose Barracuda announced on Twitter/X that they have signed goaltender Samuel St-Hilaire to an amateur try out agreement. 

St-Hilaire, 20, has amassed an .880 save percentage across 16 games with the Rimouski Océanic this season.

Should this move spell the end of St-Hilaire's junior career, he'll have finished it with an average of a .904 save percentage across 81 games between the Sherbrooke Phoenix and the Océanic. Most notably, St-Hilaire was a goaltender for Team Canada at the 2024 World Juniors, although did not play in a game.

Only arriving in major junior hockey after his first year of NHL draft eligibility, St-Hilaire quickly rose the ranks in Sherbrooke -- going from a tandem goaltender to a bonafide starter. Last year, the 6-foot-2 netminder carried a .915 save percentage across 36 games for fifth best in the league.

The original expectation was that the undrafted goaltender would end his junior career, skipping his overage season in search of professional offers. However, the injury to Montreal Canadiens prospect Quentin Miller -- the starter for the Memorial Cup host, Rimouski Océanic -- was too good of an opportunity to pass on.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to repeat his successes from the years prior with Rimouski and it appears that he has moved on to chase a professional offer.

He'll join the San Jose Sharks AHL team's roster on a temporary basis as it deals with injuries.

As for the Océanic, it's likely that the team will roll with red hot prospect William Lacelle (.920 over 17) and recent addition Mathis Langevin (.899 over nine) until Miller returns.

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