Pavel Francouz Signs Two-Year Extension

AVALANCHE RE-SIGNS FRANCOUZ
Goaltender Inks Two-Year Extension with Colorado
DENVER - The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that the team has signed goaltender Pavel Francouz (pa-VEHL FRAN-sohs) to a two-year contract through the 2023-24 campaign.

Francouz, 31, has a 10-3-1 record this season and leads the Avalanche in goals-against average (2.46) and save percentage (.920). He posted a career-best seven-game winning streak from Jan. 8-28, which included a shutout in two straight games from Jan. 19-24, the first Avs netminder to post consecutive shutouts since Patrick Roy from Jan. 23-25, 2003. Francouz recorded a career-best shutout streak of 169:29 from Jan. 17-28, the third-longest in franchise history and the second-longest by any NHL goaltender this season (Ilya Samsonov, 170:13).
The Plzen, Czech Republic, native began the 2021-22 campaign on injured reserve, missing the first 24 games before making his season debut on Dec. 16 at Nashville, his first NHL start since Game 4 of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs second round against Dallas (Aug. 30, 2020). Francouz earned a win in a relief appearance on Jan. 8 vs. Toronto, his first regular-season victory since March 11, 2020 vs. NY Rangers.
"Pavel is an important component to our goaltending tandem and someone we have full trust in to be a key piece of our team going forward," said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Joe Sakic. "He has showed tremendous perseverance and dedication in overcoming the challenges and injuries he has faced."
Francouz is 31-12-5 in 50 career NHL appearances with a 2.42 goals-against average and a .923 save percentage. While he didn't play a game in 2020-21, Francouz finished the 2019-20 campaign with a team-best 21 wins, was tied for fifth in the NHL in save percentage (.923) and ranked seventh in goals-against average. He was the first Avalanche netminder to finish among the league's top 10 in both categories since David Aebischer in 2003-04.
The 6-foot, 179- pound netminder has a 2-4 record in six career postseason contests - all during the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs - with a 3.23 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage. He made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on Aug. 5 vs. Dallas and earned a 4-0 win, becoming the first goaltender in franchise history and 15th in NHL history to record a shutout in his postseason debut.
Francouz played his first season of professional hockey in North America in 2018-19, posting a 27-17-3 record in 49 regular-season games for the American Hockey League's Colorado Eagles. He recorded a 2.68 goals-against average, and his .918 save percentage was tied for fifth in the league. Francouz was tabbed to represent the Eagles at the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic but did not participate due to injury. In 53 career AHL contests, he has a 30-18-3 record, 2.59 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and four shutouts.
Before signing with Colorado as a free agent on May 2, 2018, Francouz spent three seasons with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL in Russia. He had a 15-11-5 record with a 1.80 goals-against average and a league-best .946 save percentage in 2017-18, earning KHL First All-Star Team honors. He compiled a 32-27-11 record, a 1.73 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage in 83 career regular-season contests and was 8-9 in 18 career postseason games with a 1.98 goals-against average and a .943 save percentage.
Prior to the KHL, Francouz played three campaigns with HC Litvinov of the Czech Extraliga, where he registered a 2.23 goals-against average and a .928 save percentage in 140 outings and twice was the recipient of the league's top goaltender award (2012-13 and 2014-15).
Internationally, Francouz represented the Czech Republic at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia, the sixth time he has represented his country at the annual event. He appeared in three games during the 2019 tournament, posting shutouts in both of his starts while finishing with a 0.77 goals-against average and .957 save percentage. He played for the Czech Republic at the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, finishing 2-2 with a 2.27 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. The 6-foot, 179-pound netminder also suited up for his country at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship.