Prospect Report: Lalonde earned contract with impressive training camp

In the end, it seems Nolan Lalonde was destined to be a goalie.
Like most Canadian kids, he grew up around hockey in Kingston, Ontario, and was on the ice at a young age in a family that played the game.
"I always carried around a little mini stick with me," he said of his childhood. "Ironically, it was a goalie stick, too, which is kind of funny. Right away, I fell in love with the game, both watching and playing."

Now 18 years old and a Blue Jackets prospect after signing a contract with the organization this summer, Lalonde has settled in between the pipes. A first-team All-OHL Rookie Team goalie a season ago with Erie, he has reached the top level of junior hockey and has a bright future after his solid play this preseason and in training camp earned him the deal with the Blue Jackets.
Yet while Lalonde seemingly was drawn to the position at an early age, the truth about how he became a goalie makes for a good story.
"I played player and goalie a little bit my first year," he told Dylan Tyrer on the Blue Jackets Pipeline Podcast. "I was 4 years old. I decided I didn't think goalies had to skate, so I'm gonna play goalie. My parents were like, 'Are you sure?' I was like, 'Yeah.' They didn't really tell me you had to skate as a goalie. I realized that a little later on. I was like, 'It's too late now,' so I stuck with it. And then obviously I fell in love with the gear after that."
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The Pipeline Podcast: Nolan Lalonde
However it happened, it's worked out for the young netminder, who wasn't taken in the NHL draft this past summer but saw his stock rise just the same. Also a baseball player and lacrosse player growing up, Lalonde dedicated himself to hockey a few years ago once he realized doors were opening for him to play at the top level, the biggest of which came in 2020 when the Otters selected him in the OHL draft.
He reported to Erie a year ago expecting to be a backup in his first season, but injuries suddenly thrust him into a prominent role.
"It was hectic at the start for sure," Lalonde said. "I settled into it toward the halfway point, but the first game, they came up to me the day before and were like, 'Oh, you're starting tomorrow.' I was like, 'OK.' I guess you just have to jump into it. It was a lot of fun learning that way, trial by fire instead of having to wait your turn. … It was an amazing experience last year."
Lalonde eventually played in 52 games a season ago with Erie, posting a 24-25-3 record, 3.62 GAA and .877 save percentage on a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2016-17 when a squad led by Alex DeBrincat, Anthony Cirelli, Erik Cernak and Dylan Strome won the league title. That was enough to earn him a spot in Pittsburgh's summer development camp and then the Blue Jackets' main camp, where he appeared in two preseason games and stopped 28 of 30 shots over 60-plus minutes of play.
"I got there the first day and it was a little nerve-wracking," Lalonde said of reporting to Columbus. "I was trying to make my movements perfect. Obviously I knew I was going to get scored on a few times, but I was trying to do everything perfect. I remember (goalie coach Manny Legace) came over to me and he says, 'Hey, just be you. Play your game. Have fun, enjoy it.' After that I was like, 'Oh, OK.' I was settling in, doing well, and I ended up getting a phone call (about a contract)."
Lalonde has started two games in Erie this season, posting a 1.46 GAA and .945 save percentage, but is currently on the shelf for the short term with a groin injury. Still, you can hear the full interview above, in which Lalonde discusses his path to the OHL, what it was like to sign with the Jackets, his hobbies away from the ice and much more.

Monsters Solid Start

The Cleveland Monsters season is just five games old, but it's been a good start for the top farm team of the Blue Jackets as the squad's 3-2-0 record is tied for first place in the AHL North Division with Rochester.
The Monsters first weekend of play included a pair of home shootout wins over Syracuse, and now the team finds itself in the midst of a six-game road swing. All five games to this point have been one-goal affairs, including Saturday's 4-3 overtime victory at Lehigh Valley that provided the team's third victory of the season.
So far, Emil Bemstrom leads the way, with the wing posting a 4-5-9 line that ties him for first in the AHL in scoring. Bemstrom has a pair of two-goal games on the year and notched the OT winner in Saturday's triumph against the Phantoms.
Watch: Youtube Video
Rookie Kirill Marchenko isn't far behind, as the 22-year-old Russian has a 4-3-7 line that places him tied for fifth in the league in scoring. Brendan Gaunce is also tied there with a 3-4-7 mark, while Trey Fix-Wolansky (3-3-6) and Carson Meyer (2-4-6) are also point-per-game players. The sixth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, defenseman David Jiricek, has four assists in five games.
Cleveland remains on the road this week, taking on Wilkes-Barre Scranton tonight before games Friday at Utica and Saturday at Syracuse. The Monsters return home Nov. 4-5 with games against Chicago.

Where in the World is...?

The Blue Jackets have restocked the prospect pool in recent years, and 19 different young CBJ draft picks or signees are playing either in junior leagues, in college hockey or in overseas pro leagues to start the season.
Here is where each of those players is on the ice to begin the campaign.
Canada
D Denton Mateychuk (first round, 2022): Moose Jaw, WHL
F Luca Del Bel Belluz (second round, 2022): Mississauga, OHL
F Jordan Dumais (third round, 2022): Halifax, QMJHL
D Stanislav Svozil (third round, 2021): Regina, WHL
F James Malatesta (fifth round, 2021): Quebec, QMJHL
F Ben Boyd (fifth round, 2021): St. Mary's University (Halifax), USports
F Martin Rysavy (seventh round, 2021): Moose Jaw, WHL
G Nolan Lalonde (signee): Erie, OHL
NCAA
D Corson Ceulemans (first round, 2021): University of Wisconsin
D Aiden Hreschuk (third round, 2021, via trade with Carolina): Boston College
D Guillaume Richard (fourth round, 2021): Providence College
D Robbie Stucker (seventh round, 2017): University of Vermont
USHL
F James Fisher (seventh round, 2022): Youngstown
Overseas Professional Leagues
F Kirill Dolzhenkov (fourth round, 2022): CSKA Moscow, KHL
F Mikael Pyyhtia (fourth round, 2020): TPS, Finland
D Eric Hjorth (fourth round, 2019): HC Vita Hasten, Sweden
F Dmitri Voronkov (fourth round, 2019): Ak Bars Kazan, KHL
G Sergei Ivanov (fifth round, 2022): SKA St. Petersburg, KHL
D Nikolai Makarov (fifth round, 2021): CSKA Moscow, KHL

Texier Back in Action

It would be hard to call Alexandre Texier a true "prospect" considering the 23-year-old forward has played in four different seasons with the Blue Jackets, but the French center/wing decided to play this season in Europe to be closer to home. As a result, we'll update his progress this season at times here in this space.
He has settled with the ZSC Lions in Switzerland, where he is teammates with former Blue Jackets Dean Kukan and Mikko Lehtonen. Texier missed a handful of games when he suffered an injury in his first game with ZSC, but he has returned to action and has two goals and two assists in six games played.