In just one season, the 22-year-old netminder played for the ECHL's Brampton Beast, the AHL's Saint John's IceCaps, at the Spengler Cup - where he helped Canada emerge as tournament champions - and in the NHL, serving as Carey Price's backup during an emergency recall in March.
Despite his strong finish, things didn't get off to a great start for the former second rounder.. Almost a year ago, Fucale's plans were temporarily derailed when he was relegated to the ECHL ranks, instead of continuing what he had started the previous season in the AHL in Newfoundland.
After taking a bit of time to process and adapt to the setback, the Rosemere native decided to roll up his sleeves and turn challenge into opportunity.
"It was definitely tough for me mentally to get sent down to Brampton, but in the end I realized the value I could take out of this as a player and as a person with the experience," admitted Fucale. "I was able to play lots of games, which is really helpful for a goalie."
Fucale spent 46 games in the crease for the Beast, putting up a 25-12-2 record and posting four shutouts.
Then came his unexpected trip to Switzerland for the Spengler Cup. It may have all happened very fast, but Fucale was able to take full advantage of the adventure.
"It was quite the experience and it's going to help me moving forward, 100 percent. After that, I was able to go straight up to the Canadiens for a few days, which was also unexpected," he recalled. "Once again, it was an invaluable experience. It's fun to get to do those kinds of things early in your career and the more of those experiences I get, the more it'll help me when I get my chance at the next level."
The puckstopper feels armed with a renewed confidence and a positive attitude after successfully overcoming all the hurdles thrown his way last year.
"It was an eventful year. I had a good playoffs and I'm happy with how things went. Good things, bad things, challenges to overcome, it ran the full gamut last year," mentioned Fucale. "Getting through all the tougher parts has given me confidence moving forward to take on new situations, a new season."
Fucale is clear about his ultimate goal: he wants to play for the Canadiens. But he realizes the competition is stiff between the pipes in Montreal. The Habs' pantry is full of promising goaltending talent, with Carey Price - now locked in with Montreal for the next nine seasons - seated firmly at the top of the heap. Not that any of that will act as a deterrent to the 6-foot-2, 187-pounder.
"I'll never say no to a challenge. Never. It's a good thing for the organization, but also for me internally, to have non-stop competition. It's the same thing across the NHL. It's a challenge and you just have to be ready for whenever the opportunity will arise," declared Fucale, a former teammate of Jonathan Drouin's with the Halifax Mooseheads. "Just prepare non-stop for when your chance will come, you take it, you go with it, you play, and you stop those pucks."
