Cayden Primeau

Cayden Primeau (born August 11, 1999) is an American professional ice hockey player who is a goaltender for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the seventh round, 199th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2017 NHL entry draft. Primeau has also previously played for the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Playing career Early years As a youth, Primeau played with the Philadelphia Revolution of the Eastern Hockey League (EHL), winning both Goaltender of the Year as well as Rookie of the Year honors during the course of the 2015–16 season. Thereafter, he joined the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League (USHL) for a single season where he participated in the annual CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, as well as the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game, recording a shutout at the latter for the first time in the history of the showcase.

Collegiate Primeau was stellar during his brief collegiate career with the Northeastern Huskies of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). In his freshman season, he posted 19 victories The following season, he pushed the Huskies even further, winning a record 25 games for the program Despite faltering in the annual NCAA tournament, Primeau was still named an AHCA East First Team All-American and recipient of the Mike Richter Award presented to the best men's goaltender across NCAA Division I ice hockey.

Professional Selected by the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the seventh round (199th overall) of the 2017 NHL entry draft, Primeau ended his college career following his sophomore season and signed an entry-level contract with the Canadiens on March 31, 2019. He was immediately assigned to Montreal's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket. Shortly thereafter, he registered his first career NHL win in a 3–2 overtime effort versus the Ottawa Senators on December 11.

Playing primarily for Laval over the course of the 2021–22 and 2022–23 campaigns, After months of a continuous rotation system, Allen was ultimately dealt to the New Jersey Devils on March 8, 2024, allowing Primeau to assume the role as the Canadiens' primary backup goaltender. Just days later, Primeau would record his second career NHL shutout in a 3–0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Bell Centre on March 12. With 41 total saves, he would tie Tony Esposito for the franchise record of most saves by a rookie goaltender without allowing a goal established over half a century prior, and was subsequently recognized as the monthly recipient of the Canadiens' Molson Cup award. Primeau finished the 2023–24 season with an 8-9-4 record with both a 2.99 GAA and a .910 save percentage respectively.

Beginning the 2024–25 season in the Canadiens' backup role, Primeau would struggle immensely, resulting in being placed on waivers by Montreal following the annual holiday roster freeze. After going unclaimed, he rejoined Laval in late December. On January 3, 2025, Primeau posted 27 saves in a 2–1 overtime win versus the Abbotsford Canucks, his first AHL game in almost two years. With a record of 8-0-0, along with an 1.73 GAA and a .932 save percentage, he was recognized as the league's Goaltender of the Month for January 2025. Primeau finished the regular season with a 21-2-2 record, subsequently described by the league itself as "the best single-season record in AHL history." He was a co-recipient of the Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award, the Rocket having allowed the fewest goals of any team in the league (tied with the Syracuse Crunch), helping the team to claim the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as AHL regular season champions. Prior to the commencement of Laval's Calder Cup campaign, Primeau was recalled by the Canadiens to once again serve as backup goaltender following an injury to Montembeault during Game 3 of their first round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. Days later, he returned to the Rocket midway through the team's divisional semifinals series against the Cleveland Monsters. He recorded his first AHL playoff shutout on May 25, leading the Rocket to victory over the Rochester Americans in the divisional finals.

Entering the offseason as a restricted free agent, Primeau was extended a qualifying offer by the Canadiens on June 30, 2025. That same day, he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a 7th-round pick in the 2026 NHL entry draft. On July 1, Primeau agreed to a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Hurricanes for the 2025–26 season. However, before playing a game for Carolina, Primeau was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs on October 6 after goaltender Joseph Woll stepped away from the team for a personal matter. After appearing in three contests for the Leafs, recording two wins over that span, he was subsequently placed on waivers by Toronto on November 7 for the purpose of being sent to the AHL before being claimed by Carolina the next day. Due to underlying provisions in the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Hurricanes were permitted to send Primeau directly to their AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves without the need to clear waivers again.

International play

Internationally, Primeau first represented Team USA at the 2015 Five Nations Cup held in Switzerland, splitting time in the decisive championship win over Germany.

At the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup, Primeau posted a 2.94 GAA and .854 save percentage in a silver medal effort. He then participated in the annual World Junior A Challenge where he went 3-1 en route to a gold medal victory, and was subsequently named to the tournament's All-Star Team.

The following year, Primeau was named to the United States national under-18 team for the World U18 Championships, winning a gold medal for his country despite not seeing any tournament play.

As part of the United States national junior team at the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, Primeau made five tournament starts towards a silver medal podium finish. He likewise was named to the United States men's national team for that year's IIHF World Championship, but ultimately did not appear in any games throughout.

Personal life He is the son of former NHL centreman Keith Primeau, and was born in Farmington Hills, Michigan prior to the family moving to Voorhees, New Jersey when Cayden was five months old following his father's trade to the Philadelphia Flyers in January 2000.

Both his brothers, Chayse and Corey, played collegiately for the Omaha Mavericks and Neumann Knights respectively while his sister, Kylie, played lacrosse at Villanova University.

Primeau is an alumnus of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular seasonPlayoffs Season Team League GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2015–16 Philadelphia Revolution EHL 29 16 5 0 1,224 38 0 1.86 .951 4 — — — — — 3.62 .910 2016–17 Lincoln Stars USHL 30 14 11 1 1,616 85 1 3.16 .895 — — — — — — — — 2017–18 Northeastern University HE 34 19 8 5 2,005 64 4 1.92 .931 — — — — — — — — 2018–19 Northeastern University HE 36 25 10 1 2,129 74 4 2.09 .933 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 Laval Rocket AHL 33 17 11 3 1,887 77 4 2.45 .908 — — — — — — — — 2019–20 Montreal Canadiens NHL 2 1 1 0 120 5 0 2.52 .931 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 Laval Rocket AHL 16 11 4 0 914 32 2 2.10 .909 — — — — — — — — 2020–21 Montreal Canadiens NHL 4 1 2 1 202 14 0 4.16 .849 — — — — — — — — 2021–22 Laval Rocket AHL 33 16 12 3 1,915 94 2 2.94 .909 14 9 5 912 33 0 2.17 .936 2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 12 1 7 1 520 40 0 4.62 .868 — — — — — — — — 2022–23 Laval Rocket AHL 41 19 15 6 2,409 122 3 3.04 .909 2 0 2 119 5 0 2.52 .912 2022–23 Montreal Canadiens NHL 3 0 2 0 139 8 0 3.46 .852 — — — — — — — — 2023–24 Montreal Canadiens NHL 23 8 9 4 1325 66 2 2.99 .910 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Montreal Canadiens NHL 11 2 3 1 250 41 0 4.70 .836 — — — — — — — — 2024–25 Laval Rocket AHL 26 21 2 2 1528 50 2 1.96 .927 8 3 4 386 21 1 3.27 .878 2025–26 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 3 2 1 0 181 13 0 4.30 .838 — — — — — — — — 2025–26 Chicago Wolves AHL 39 21 11 7 2367 95 4 2.41 .916 18 9 9 1102 50 0 2.72 .913NHL totals 58 15 25 7 3,053 187 2 3.73 .882 — — — — — — — —

International Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% 2016 United States IH18 4 3 1 0 244 12 0 2.94 .854 2016 United States WJAC 4 3 1 0 239 3 2 0.75 .966 2017 United States U18 — — — — — — — — — 2019 United States WJC 5 4 1 0 299 8 0 1.61 .936 2019 United States WC 7th — — — — — — — — — Junior totals 13 10 3 0 782 23 2 1.76 .923

Awards and honors Award Year RefEHL Rookie of the Year 2016 New England D1 All-Stars 2018 New England Rookie of the Year (co-winner) 2018 All-Hockey East First Team 2018, 2019 AHCA East First Team All-American 2019 Hockey East All-Tournament Team 2019 Hockey East Three-Stars Award 2019 Mike Richter Award 2019 William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player 2019 AHL All-Rookie Team 2020 All-Star Game 2021 AHL Goaltender of the Month (January 2025) 2025 Harry "Hap" Holmes Memorial Award 2025