Antoine Keller's NHL draft journey could bring France back to Olympic Ice Hockey after 23 years
In June 2023, few expected to hear the name Antoine Keller during the NHL Draft. While top prospects waited nervously in Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, Keller—a French-Swiss goaltender—was on vacation in Spain, convinced he wouldn't be picked.
But in a surprise move, the Washington Capitals selected him 206th overall in the seventh round, marking the beginning of an unexpected
NHL
journey.
Antoine
Keller
becomes 13th French NHL Draft pick
Keller's selection was historic. According to RMNB, only 12 French players had ever been drafted into the NHL before him. As the 13th French NHL draft pick, Keller's story became an instant inspiration for aspiring hockey players in France. 'I'm very happy. Very proud to represent my country,' Keller said after hearing the news.
The moment wasn't just personal—it was national.
Following the draft, the Washington Capitals extended an AHL contract to Keller for the 2025 season. This deal positions him to develop within the organization, potentially playing for their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears, and the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays. These leagues will offer Keller critical North American experience and increased visibility as he progresses toward an NHL debut.
The 2025 NHL Draft Was Interesting...
Antoine Keller could end France's 23-year wait for an Olympic Hockey goalie
Beyond the NHL, Keller is now in serious contention to represent France at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. At just 20 years old, he is expected to be among the three goaltenders selected for the French national team. If he makes the final Olympic roster, Keller will be the first French goalie to appear at the Winter Games since Cristobal Huet in 2002—a 23-year gap.
Cristobal Huet, a former NHL goaltender and current goalie coach, now mentors Keller.
Huet believes Keller has what it takes to compete at the highest level. 'There is a very, very good chance that Antoine is going to be on the team,' Huet told NHL.
FAQs
Who is Antoine Keller?
Antoine Keller is a French-Swiss goalie drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2023. He's only the 13th French player ever drafted into the NHL.
Will Keller play in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
He's a strong contender to join France's Olympic roster, which would make him the first French goalie at the Games since 2002.
Which teams will Keller play for?
He's set to play in the AHL with Hershey and may also see time in the ECHL with South Carolina in the Capitals' system.
A future star for France on NHL ice and Olympic stage
Keller's rapid rise drafted into the NHL, signed to an AHL contract, and now a leading Olympic hopeful signals a new era for French ice hockey. With dedication and elite training, he could soon become France's next great goaltender on both NHL ice and the Olympic stage.
Also Read:
Despite Alex Ovechkin and Brad Marchand in spotlight, NHL faces major scoring drop and viewership crash in 2024-25
His journey isn't just about breaking into professional hockey. It's about reigniting a country's presence in global ice hockey and ending a 23-year Olympic absence in goal.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
22 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Unnati stuns Sindhu for biggest win of young career
New Delhi: Unnati Hooda, 17, has grown up watching PV Sindhu ply her trade on the badminton court. Not only did she admire Sindhu's game but also aspired to play like the double Olympic medallist all her life. Unnati Hooda defeated PV Sindhu in the women's singles at the China Open Super 1000 badminton tournament, in Changzhou. (BWF/Badminton Photo) In 2022, the Rohtak shuttler got an opportunity to pick the former world champion's brains when the two were part of India's Uber Cup team. The self-confessed Sindhu fan had, back then, spoken about the learnings from playing alongside her idol while expressing her admiration for Sindhu's 'aggression and smashes.' On Thursday, Unnati put those learnings to good effect as she used the same aggression and smashes to conjure the biggest win of her career, beating Sindhu 21-16, 19-21, 21-13 in 73 minutes to enter the women's singles quarter-finals of the $2 million China Open in Changzhou. 'I didn't expect to win. I came thinking that I'll give it my all. The result was the last thing (on my mind). So, winning against her, it's a surprise for me too. But I am happy that I was able to win. It was a really good win but tough,' said the teenager. 'It was very difficult as she was giving it her all. I also gave my all. It was a very tiring match. There are many lessons but the main one is that we have to keep fighting till the last shuttle.' Unnati was fired up right from the start, dominating the first game as Sindhu seemed to struggle with the drift. The youngster very nearly closed out the match in the second game when ahead 19-18 but five-time World Championship medallist showed great resolve to level the contest. Unnati kept troubling Sindhu with her deft touches at the net to which Sindhu had no response. She also kept going for the lines during attack for which she was rewarded with multiple winners. Knowing she has nothing to lose, Unnati relentlessly attacked her opponent with body smashes, forcing a frustrated Sindhu to commit several errors. She extended the rallies to exasperate the world No.15 who succumbed to her first loss to an Indian junior. 'It was a bit hard to control the shuttle. In the third game she took a lead and maintained that. She had some lucky points with some net cords on crucial points. It's good for her, she's done well, and I wish her all the best,' said Sindhu, who had won the Super 1000 event in 2016. World No.35 Unnati will next face Japanese third seed Akane Yamaguchi for a place in the last four in what will be their first meeting. Though she has had reasonable success this year like winning the Singapore International Challenge or reaching the German Open quarters, Unnati credits her semi-final appearance at the Taipei Open in May for her improved performances. 'Reaching the semis in Taipei boosted my confidence. I had some good matches there. That helped me keep my patience in the third game. I was ready to play long rallies which were gruelling, but I managed to stay focused and composed under pressure,' said Unnati. Earlier, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty booked a men's doubles quarter-final spot after beating eighth seeds Leo Rolly Carnando and Bagas Maulana 21-19, 21-19 for their second successive win over the Indonesians. The world No.12 pairing will next face Malaysians Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. However, it was the end of the road for HS Prannoy who went down 21-18, 15-21, 8-21 to sixth seed Chou Tien Chen for his eighth loss to the Chinese Taipei player in 14 meetings.
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Nikhat, Lovlina to spearhead Indian challenge at World Championships
New Delhi: Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen and Tokyo Olympics bronze medallist Lovlina Borgohain will highlight India's 20-member squad for this year's senior boxing World Championships set to take place in Liverpool from September 4-14. The Worlds will feature all seven Olympic weight categories in men's and women's divisions along with three additional weights -- making it ten weight classes each for men and women -- as over 500 boxers from 60 nations are expected to vie for the world title. India's Zareen Nikhat will highlight India's 20-member squad for this year's senior boxing World Championships set to take place in Liverpool from September 4. (AFP) The squad was finalised on Thursday following week-long assessment at the National Institute of Sports (NIS), Patiala during which the boxers were tested for their skills, endurance, discipline, and resilience. 'The assessments were held in round-robin format with each boxer competing against 3-4 opponents. The process was quite exhaustive,' boxing interim committee chief Ajay Singh said on the sidelines of the felicitation organised for the 17 World Cup medallists from Brazil and Kazakhstan legs. Each gold medallist received a cash reward of ₹2 lakh, silver medallists ₹1 lakh, and bronze winners ₹50,000. BFI's interim committee has chosen to stick with the much-debated evaluation system from the previous Olympic cycle, meaning there were no trials for the team selection. The toppers in each weight division got an automatic berth for the Worlds. 'The boxers were primarily tested for their strength, conditioning, and endurance. Maximum points were reserved for sparring. There are also points for attendance, discipline, and weight management,' a member of interim committee informed. Nikhat had forfeited her final against Jyoti Gulia at the Elite Women's Boxing Tournament in Hyderabad earlier this month due to a cut above her nose but came back strongly in the assessment. Besides Nikhat and Lovlina, the bulk of the squad features medallists from the World Cup in Astana with Meenakshi Hooda (48kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Sanju Khatri (60kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), and Nupur Sheoran (80+ kg) all topping the assessments in their respective brackets and making the cut. The men's team wears a new look with the likes of double World Cup medallists Abhinash Jamwal (65kg) and Hitesh Gulia (70kg) qualifying. The lightweight division has been short of experience post Paris with both Amit Panghal and Deepak Bhoria out of the national camp. In their absence, the 20-year-old reigning national champion and Brazil World Cup bronze medallist, Jadumani Singh Mandengbam, topped the 50kg assessment and punched his ticket to Liverpool. Among heavier weights, Jugnoo Ahlawat topped the 85kg class while the experienced Narender Berwal aced the 90+ division. 'I have improved technically after the twin World Cup experience. I will try to be aggressive from the first round itself as judges always prefer dominant boxers. I hope to make an impression on my World Championships debut,' said Hitesh. Teams: Women's: Meenakshi Hooda (48kg), Nikhat Zareen (51kg), Sakshi (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), Sanju Khatri (60kg), Neeraj Phogat (60kg), Sanamacha Chanu (70kg), Lovlina Borgohain (75kg), Pooja Rani (80kg), Nupur Sheoran (80+ kg) Men's: Jadumani Singh Mandengbam (50kg), Pawan Bartwal (55kg), Sachin Siwach jr (60kg), Abhinash Jamwal (65kg), Hitesh Gulia (70kg), Sumit Kundu (75kg), Lakshya Chahar (80kg), Jugnoo Ahlawat (85kg), Harsh Chaudhary (90kg), Narender Berwal (90+ kg). India-China to build boxing ties In a first-of-its-kind development, Indian boxers will train with their Chinese counterparts as the two nations seek to build boxing ties. A total of 42 junior girls and boys along with national coaches and physios will travel to China for 15 days next month in a move that the interim committee believes will upgrade the standards of Indian pugilists. 'We stand to gain a lot with this alliance. China are generally not open to foreigners training and sparring with them but they are impressed with the talent of our youngsters. We have been in talks for a few months and it has finally come to fruition,' a committee member said. Meanwhile, interim committee chief Singh assured the BFI elections will take place by the end of next month in accordance with World Boxing diktat. BFI elections were due in February-end but were delayed after a series of litigation. "The world body wants us to conduct elections by August 31, so we will tentatively hold the elections by Aug 27-28. We will start the process 21 days before that date, which means in the first week of August," he said.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
11th edition of Malabar River Festival to begin in Kozhikode on July 25
The 11th edition of the Malabar River Festival, an international white-water kayaking championship, will begin at Chalippuzha in the Kodenchery grama panchayat in Kozhikode on Friday (July 25, 2025). The three-day event is being organised by the Kerala Adventure Tourism Promotion Society (KATPS) and the Kozhikode District Tourism Promotion Council (DTPC), with technical support from the Indian Kayaking & Canoeing Association (IKCA) and the support of the three-tier panchayat, according to a press release. The championship will take place on the Iruvazhinjipuzha and Chalippuzha rivers till Sunday (July 27, 2025). Linto Joseph, MLA, will inaugurate the festival at Pulikkayam at 9 a.m. District Collector Snehil Kumar Singh, district panchayat president Sheeja Sasi, grama panchayat presidents Alex Thomas Chempakassery (Kodenchery) and Bindu Johnson (Thiruvambady), elected representatives, and prominent social and political figures will attend the event. The Olympic events, including men's and women's slalom and extreme slalom, will be held at Chalippuzha in Pulikkayam, while the extreme slalom final, downriver, and boater cross events will take place at Pulloorampara on the Iruvazhinjipuzha river. Tourism and Public Works Minister P.A. Mohamed Riyas will inaugurate the closing ceremony and present prizes to the winners at 5 p.m. on July 27. As part of the festival, music performances by the Gramophone Music Band will be held at Pulikkayam at 5 p.m. on July 25, followed by performances by local artists on Saturday (July 26, 2025) and the Mersey Music Band on Sunday at Elanthakadavu. Following the death of former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, the freestyle demonstration competition scheduled to be held at Meenthullippara in Chakkittapara on the Kuttiady river on Thursday (July 24, 2025) was cancelled. Kayakers from foreign countries and northern Indian States are currently training on the Chalippuzha and Iruvazhinjipuzha rivers. Pre-events were also organised in various panchayats as part of the festival's promotion.
