Ottawa Senators Sign Goalie Prospect Joey Daccord to Entry-Level Contract
The 2015 draftee had a stellar collegiate year for Arizona State University.
The Ottawa Senators have announced that they’ve signed top goalie prospect Joey Daccord to a two year entry-level contract. After his season came to a close on Saturday with a playoff loss to Quinnipiac University, Daccord could have become a free agent 30 days after deciding to turn pro next season. Instead, the Sens have quickly inked him to an entry-level deal, which begins this season.
News Release: #Sens sign goaltender Joey Daccord to a two-year entry-level contract: https://t.co/vyO7Ix7qvA
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) April 1, 2019
Communiqué : Les Sénateurs accordent un contrat d’entrée de deux ans à Joey Daccord : https://t.co/2TNVVc4Vcq
The 2015 draft keeps looking even better for the Senators, who drafted Daccord in the 7th round, 199th overall. After playing his post-draft year in the USHL, Daccord joined the NCAA’s newest hockey team in Arizona State University (ASU). It was there that he earned a massive workload, leading the entire NCAA in shots faced in each of his last two seasons.
This past year has been particularly impressive for Daccord, who despite playing for a weak defensive team, managed to clamour ASU all the way to a playoff spot. With a record of 21-12-1 and a save percentage of 92.6%, he has quickly climbed his way up the ranks of Ottawa’s prospects. He was nominated for the Hobey Baker award as the NCAA’s top player, and is finalist for the Mike Richter award as the NCAA’s top goalie.
At 6’2”, Daccord’s height is right at the NHL median. His best attributes are his puck handling and athleticism, which are both at an elite level. His performances in skating and puck movement at last year’s development camp were comparable to many of the forwards and defencemen, despite Daccord doing it all in goalie equipment. Some of that likely comes from being the son of Brian Daccord, who currently works as a goaltending consultant for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Daccord also creates his own highlight videos, such as this one which is solely dedicated to his puck movement. If you’ve been following along with our site’s weekly prospect updates, you know that we can’t stop giving him enough praise.
Today’s signing marks ASU’s first time having a player sign to an NHL team. Daccord is expected to join the Sens for the rest of the season, which burns off a year of his deal. It remains to be seen how he’ll be incorporated in the team’s goalie rotation. Per Bruce Garrioch, he’s expected to make his NHL debut in one of Ottawa’s three remaining games.
Next season, he will likely be competing with fellow prospects Marcus Hogberg and Filip Gustavsson in Belleville, and possibly for Ottawa’s backup position with Anders Nilsson’s contract expiring on July 1st. Mike Condon could still be in the mix too, with one year remaining on his current deal.
As for Daccord, his entry-level contract is two years, due to him already being 22 years old. He will still be ineligible for the 2021 Seattle expansion draft, unless he plays ten professional games this season. He will be a restricted free agent once the deal expires in 2020. We will update this post as more contract details are revealed.
Welcome to Ottawa, Joey Daccord!
