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Antoine Bibeau

Antoine Bibeau
Bibeau with the San Jose Barracuda in 2018
Born (1994-05-01) May 1, 1994 (age 30)
Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
Liiga team
Former teams		 KooKoo
Toronto Maple Leafs
Colorado Avalanche
AIK
NHL draft 172nd overall, 2013
Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career 2014–present

Antoine Bibeau (born May 1, 1994) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender for KooKoo in the Liiga. Bibeau was selected by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the sixth round, 172nd overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

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Junior

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As a youth, Bibeau played in the 2006 and 2007 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with the Victoriaville Tigres minor ice hockey team.[1] Bibeau played in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) from 2011 to 2014. He played with the Charlottetown Islanders until his final year of major junior hockey when he was traded to the Val-d'Or Foreurs.[2] He went on to capture the 2014 President's Cup with the Foreurs and was recognized for his outstanding play when he was awarded the Guy Lafleur Trophy as the QMJHL Playoffs Most Valuable Player. The Foreurs then went on to play in the Memorial Cup where Bibeau was named the tournament's outstanding goaltender.[3]

Professional

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Bibeau was selected in the 6th round, 172nd overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.[3][4] He was invited to his first training camp in 2013, but was sent back to his junior team in the first round of cuts.[5] On July 3, 2014, the Maple Leafs signed Bibeau to an entry-level contract.[6] He attended training camp in 2014 and had a successful rookie tournament,[7] but was demoted to the teams' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, on September 29.[8] Bibeau was called up on an emergency basis in February 2015 to replace a Jonathan Bernier who was out with an illness but did not play.[9] Bibeau was recalled on December 1, 2015, when James Reimer was announced as injured.[10] He was reassigned to the Marlies on December 10.[4] The following season he attended the 2016 Maple Leafs training camp and was returned to the Marlies.[11] He was recalled in December 2016 to replace the struggling Jhonas Enroth and made his NHL debut on December 11, in a match up against the Colorado Avalanche.[12] Despite a solid performance by both Bibeau and the team, where they recorded 52 shots to Colorado's 29, the Maple Leafs would lose 3–1.[13] He was demoted again[14] until being recalled on December 27.[15] Bibeau's first NHL win came in his second game, where he would make 25 saves in a 3–2 overtime win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 29.[16] He was returned to the Marlies in January 2017.[17] At the completion of his entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs, Bibeau was not tendered a qualifying offer as a restricted free agent on June 26, 2017.[18] Bibeau finished his career with the Leafs with a 1–1–0 record and .927 save percentage. He played in 104 games with the Marlies, finishing with a 56–33–11 record and a save percentage of .906.[19]

Bibeau stands with his back to the net waiting for a face-off.
Bibeau on Teddy Bear Toss night for the San Jose Barracuda of the AHL.

On July 1, 2017, Bibeau as a free agent signed a one-year, two-way contract with the San Jose Sharks.[19] After reporting to his first training camp with the Sharks, Bibeau was assigned to AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, and posted a 23–14–4 record in his first season with the Barracuda in 2017–18. He had a .919 save percentage and a 2.37 goals-against average, earning a spot on the Pacific Division's All-Star Team. On March 13, 2018, Bibeau signed a two-year contract extension with the Sharks.[20] On October 2, 2018, he was assigned by the Sharks to continue with the San Jose Barracuda.[21] He spent the 2018–19 season in the AHL, where he went 16–13–5 with a .904 save percentage and a 2.89 goals-against average.[22]

Prior to the 2019–20 season, Bibeau was traded by the Sharks to the Colorado Avalanche in exchange for Nicolas Meloche on September 27, 2019.[22] He was directly assigned to report to the Colorado Eagles' training camp. In his Eagles debut on October 4, 2019, Bibeau allowed five goals in an opening night defeat to the Stockton Heat, while also suffering a hip injury which placed him on the injured reserve.[23] After a month of rehabilitation, Bibeau was recalled by the Avalanche due to multiple injuries in goal and made his debut with the Avalanche in replacing Adam Werner during a 6–2 defeat to the Edmonton Oilers on November 14, 2019.[24] On November 16, 2019, he became the fourth goaltender to start a game with the Avalanche and also record a win in backstopping Colorado to a 5–4 overtime decision over the Vancouver Canucks.[25] In returning to the AHL, during his first game back with the Eagles on November 23, Bibeau suffered a re-occurrence of his hip injury and opted to undergo season-ending hip surgery effectively ending his brief but eventful stint within the Avalanche organization.[26][27]

As a free agent on October 22, 2020, Bibeau signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.[28] Bibeau never featured with the Hurricanes in the shortened 2020–21 season, posting 5 wins through 8 games in his assignment to the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.[29]

On August 20, 2021, Bibeau signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with expansion club, the Seattle Kraken.[29] In the following 2021–22 season, Bibeau endured a disjointed season, joining shared AHL affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers, and splitting the season with the Allen Americans of the ECHL.[30]

At the conclusion of his contract with the Kraken, Bibeau left as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Ottawa Senators on July 14, 2022.[30] Bibeau was assigned to Ottawa's AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators and was paired with Mads Søgaard as the goaltending duo for the team to start the season.[31] On November 26, 2022, Bibeau set a career high in saves in a single game, making 49 of them in a 4–1 win over the Laval Rocket, which also became the Belleville Senators' franchise record.[32] Bibeau went down with a broken finger followed by another injury roughly when Ottawa was going through an injury crisis among their goaltenders too in January 2023.[31] Following his return from injury, management sought to use younger goalies in net and Bibeau's ice time declined. He then broke another finger and missed more time. At the end of the season, he was told he would not return with Belleville.[33]

As a free agent, Bibeau opted to pursue a contract in Europe for the first time in his career and later agreed to an optional two-year contract with Swedish second tier club, AIK IF of the Allsvenskan on July 23, 2023.[34] In the 2023–24 season, Bibeau backstopped AIK to the playoffs, posting 16 wins through 29 appearances.

After AIK's elimination through the qualification playoffs, Bibeau left Sweden and AIK to sign a one-year contract with Finnish top flight club, KooKoo of the Liiga, on June 12, 2024.[35]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L OTL MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2010–11 Lewiston Maineiacs QMJHL 3 2 0 0 144 5 0 2.10 .914 — — — — — — — —
2011–12 PEI Rocket QMJHL 29 7 9 1 1183 88 0 4.46 .868 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 PEI Rocket QMJHL 46 28 11 3 2521 118 5 2.81 .911 6 2 4 374 21 0 3.37 .907
2013–14 Charlottetown Islanders QMJHL 26 8 11 5 1424 78 1 3.29 .911 — — — — — — — —
2013–14 Val d'Or Foreurs QMJHL 22 13 7 1 1267 64 1 3.03 .900 24 16 8 1476 69 1 2.80 .913
2014–15 Toronto Marlies AHL 31 15 10 5 1809 81 4 2.69 .913 1 0 1 57 3 0 3.13 .929
2015–16 Toronto Marlies AHL 40 28 9 1 2354 106 3 2.70 .909 12 6 5 682 31 1 2.73 .900
2016–17 Toronto Marlies AHL 32 13 14 5 1892 97 3 3.08 .894 1 0 1 37 2 0 3.23 .882
2016–17 Toronto Maple Leafs NHL 2 1 1 0 121 4 0 1.98 .927 — — — — — — — —
2017–18 San Jose Barracuda AHL 43 23 14 4 2406 95 5 2.37 .919 4 1 3 212 13 0 3.68 .865
2018–19 San Jose Barracuda AHL 35 16 13 5 2055 99 1 2.89 .904 1 0 0 10 3 0 17.48 .625
2019–20 Colorado Eagles AHL 2 0 2 0 80 8 0 6.02 .765 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Colorado Avalanche NHL 2 1 0 0 92 5 0 3.27 .881 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Chicago Wolves AHL 8 5 2 1 483 20 0 2.49 .912 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Charlotte Checkers AHL 10 4 1 2 484 20 0 2.48 .905 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Allen Americans ECHL 14 7 4 2 816 38 0 2.79 .923 — — — — — — — —
2022–23 Belleville Senators AHL 23 9 10 2 1179 69 0 3.51 .894 — — — — — — — —
2023–24 AIK Allsv 29 16 11 0 1604 66 6 2.47 .921 5 2 3 337 13 0 2.31 .938
NHL totals 4 2 1 0 213 9 0 2.54 .907 — — — — — — — —

Awards and honors

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Award Year
QMJHL
Guy Lafleur Trophy – Playoffs MVP 2013–14 [36]
Hap Emms Memorial Trophy – Memorial Cup Most Outstanding Goaltender 2014 [37]
CHL Memorial Cup All-Star Team 2014 [38]
AHL
All-Star Game 2018

References

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  1. ^ "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 6, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
  2. ^ Sager, Neate (April 29, 2014). "Val-d'Or Foreurs, backed by Antoine Bibeau, oust Halifax from QMJHL playoffs; Drakkar outlast Armada". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Johnston, Mike (June 3, 2014). "Leafs sign QMJHL playoff MVP goalie Bibeau". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "Maple Leafs reassign Antoine Bibeau to Marlies". Toronto Maple Leafs. December 10, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  5. ^ McGran, Kevin (September 13, 2013). "Maple Leafs cut seven players from training camp roster". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  6. ^ "Maple Leafs sign goaltender Antoine Bibeau to entry-level contract". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. June 3, 2014. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  7. ^ McGran, Kevin (September 16, 2014). "Five Maple Leafs prospects who impressed at rookie tournament". Toronto Star. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Yourk, Darren (September 29, 2014). "Maple Leafs reduce training camp roster by six". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  9. ^ "Toronto Maple Leafs' Jonathan Bernier out with illness, recall goaltender Antoine Bibeau from Marlies". National Post. The Canadian Press. February 7, 2015. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  10. ^ Koshan, Terry (December 4, 2015). "Leafs recall Antoine Bibeau as James Reimer day to day with injury". Toronto Sun. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  11. ^ "SportChek Training Camp: Leafs Trim Camp Roster". Toronto Maple Leafs. October 8, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  12. ^ Siegel, Jason (December 11, 2016). "Bibeau to make first NHL start for Leafs against struggling Avalanche". CTV News. The Canadian Press. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  13. ^ "Bibeau solid in debut, but Leafs can't solve Colorado: DiManno". Toronto Star. Torstar. December 11, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
  14. ^ Fox, Luke (December 16, 2016). "Toronto Maple Leafs recall Jhonas Enroth from Marlies". Sportsnet. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  15. ^ "Leafs Recall Froese, Bibeau and Gauthier". Toronto Maple Leafs. December 27, 2016. Retrieved November 15, 2022 – via NHL.com.
  16. ^ "Bibeau, Kadri lift Maple Leafs past Lightning in OT". Sportsnet. Rogers Communications. December 29, 2016. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  17. ^ "Leafs recall goalie Jhonas Enroth, send down Antoine Bibeau". Toronto Star. The Canadian Press. January 8, 2017. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  18. ^ "Bibeau, Griffith not qualified by Leafs, will become UFA's". Sportsnet. June 26, 2017. Retrieved June 26, 2017.
  19. ^ a b "Sharks sign Goaltender Antoine Bibeau". San Jose Sharks. July 1, 2017. Retrieved July 1, 2017 – via NHL.com.
  20. ^ "Sharks Re-Sign Goaltender Antoine Bibeau". San Jose Sharks. March 13, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018 – via NHL.com.
  21. ^ "Sharks Reassign Three Players to Barracuda". San Jose Sharks. October 2, 2018. Retrieved October 2, 2018 – via NHL.com.
  22. ^ a b "Avalanche acquires Antoine Bibeau". Colorado Avalanche. September 27, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2019 – via NHL.com.
  23. ^ "Heat 5, Eagles 2". American Hockey League. October 4, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  24. ^ "Momentum shift: Avalanche falls to Oilers 6-2". Denver Post. November 14, 2019. Retrieved November 14, 2019.
  25. ^ "All-World MacKinnon knocks down thrilling comeback". The Province. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  26. ^ "Saison terminée pour Antoine Bibeau" [Season over for Antoine Bibeau]. La Nouvelle Union (in French). December 4, 2019. Retrieved December 4, 2019.
  27. ^ "A missed opportunity for Antoine Bibeau". Canadalive.news. September 8, 2020. Retrieved September 8, 2020.[dead link]
  28. ^ "Canes sign Goaltender Antoine Bibeau". Carolina Hurricanes. October 22, 2020. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  29. ^ a b "Kraken sign a fourth goaltender". Seattle Kraken. August 20, 2021. Retrieved August 20, 2021.
  30. ^ a b "Ottawa signs Bibeau, Larsson". American Hockey League. July 14, 2022. Retrieved July 14, 2022.
  31. ^ a b Warren, Ken (January 27, 2023). "Injuries and more injuries create goaltending shuffle throughout Senators organization". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  32. ^ "Antoine Bibeau shines in Belleville Sens victory". Belleville Senators. November 26, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  33. ^ Chauvette, Ghislain (April 20, 2023). "L'Europe devient une option pour Antoine Bibeau" [Europe becomes an option for Antoine Bibeau]. La Nouvelle Union (in French). Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  34. ^ "Antoine Bibeau is ready for AIK" (in Swedish). AIK IF. July 23, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2023.
  35. ^ "Goalkeeper Antoine Bibeau to Kouvola!" (in Finnish). KooKoo. June 12, 2024. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  36. ^ "Foreurs' Bibeau wins Guy Lafleur Trophy | The Q News". theqnews.net. Retrieved July 9, 2014.[dead link]
  37. ^ Pyette, Ryan (May 26, 2014). "Oil Kings shock heavily-favoured Storm to win Memorial Cup". Toronto Sun. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
  38. ^ "Memorial Cup All-Star Teams". Memorial Cup. May 28, 2014. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved May 28, 2014.
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