‘It’s been a bit of a journey’

November 19, 2025

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GOALTENDER PRIMEAU FINALLY LANDS WITH WOLVES

Cayden Primeau was all set to drive to Chicago in early October when life threw him a U-turn.

The goaltender, who had been acquired by the Carolina Hurricanes via a trade with the Montreal Canadiens on June 30, had spent time in Canes training camp and was ticketed to join the Wolves. But the 26-year-old was claimed off waivers by the Toronto Maple Leafs and appeared in three games before again being placed on waivers with the intent to play for the Marlies.

On Nov. 8, in stepped Carolina to reclaim Primeau and now the son of former NHLer Keith Primeau appears locked in as the Wolves’ No. 1 goaltender.

“My car was packed and ready to go to Chicago,” Primeau said of that Oct. 6 day. “I was heading to the rink to grab my bags to drive up here and got the call saying that I was heading to Toronto. I was ready to get here and ready to get things going. Obviously, it was a little bit of a delay but I’m just excited to be here now.”

The Wolves are excited to have Primeau man the crease. The Voorhees, N.J., native has appeared in two games and sports a 1-0-1-0 record, 2.94 goals-against average and .915 save percentage.

Add those numbers to an already stellar American Hockey League resume, including a record of 84-44-18, with a 2.60 goals-against, .912 save percentage and 13 shutouts in 149 games with the Laval Rocket from 2019-25.

Across seven NHL seasons with the Canadiens and Maple Leafs, Primeau has appeared in 58 games, posting a record of 15-25-7, with a 3.73 goals-against, .882 save percentage and two shutouts.

“It’s been a bit of a journey,” said Primeau, selected in the seventh round (199^th overall) by the Canadiens in the 2017 NHL Draft. “But as a goalie, over my career I’ve really prided myself on not looking too far ahead or at the past. It’s being in the moment and just doing what I can to be ready and try to get better every day.”

The 6-feet-3-inch, 205-pound Primeau doesn’t mold his game after one particular netminder (“I try to take some things from everyone”), but his favorite goalie growing up was a similarly-sized Pekka Rinne, who manned the net for 13 seasons with the Nashville Predators before retiring in 2021.

“I’m a big goalie so I try to use my size to my advantage,” Primeau said. “I also try to use my hockey sense and use my reads to make good plays.”

molding Montgomery

There aren’t many hockey players to come out of Washington, D.C. and make it to the professional ranks, but for Bryce Montgomery, he had the right role models in front of him to pave the way.

The 6-feet-4-inch Wolves defenseman grew up in Maryland with an athletic family lineage. His Dad, Matthew, played college hockey at St. Mary’s University, his mom Kimberly, played Division 1 basketball at the Univ. of California, Berkley, and his younger brother, Blake, was selected in the fourth round (No. 117) by the Ottawa Senators in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. Add in Bryce, a sixth-round selection (No. 170) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2021 NHL Draft.

When he was hearing stories or receiving guidance from his parents, he was also tuned into his local hockey team and the greatest goal scorer in NHL history.

“I was a huge Washington Capitals fan and being from Maryland, hockey isn’t huge, so being able to grow up in the (Alex) Ovechkin era made it easier for guys like me to get into the sport and excel,” Montgomery said.

Montgomery’s parents are from hockey-crazed Minnesota, so they brought their hockey fandom to both Bryce and Blake.

“My dad, especially, was just such a hockey guy and I really got such a cool perspective of the game from a young age from him,” Bryce Montgomery said. “He’s such a great coach. He was huge in helping me get into power skating at a young age and working on my skating to get it where it is today.”

Montgomery is in his second season with the Wolves and is emerging as a reliable option in coach Cam Abbott’s defensive units.

The blue liner picked up his first AHL points with assists in back-to-back games against Iowa on Nov. 6 and 8.

“It’s still super early in the season but I’m happy to be getting games in and continue to work on improving myself every day,” Montgomery said. “It’s a long year but I want to stay as consistent as possible with every practice and game.”

IMPACT NETWORKING PLAY OF THE WEEK

On Sunday at Allstate Arena, forward Evan Vierling helped give the Wolves a lead over the Cleveland Monsters with his fifth goal of the season. The forward jumped on a loose puck that deflected off teammate Felix Unger Sorum following a point shot from Dominik Badinka and tucked it past Monster’s goaltender Zach Sawchenko.

C.D.E. COLLISION CENTERS’ COLLISIONS OF THE WEEK

During the second period of Sunday’s tilt against Cleveland, Wolves defenseman Aleksi Heimosalmi delivered this crushing hit to the Monsters’ Jordan Dumais.

SAVE OF THE WEEK

In his second appearance and first home game in a Wolves sweater Saturday night at Allstate Arena, goaltender Cayden Primeau made a sprawling blocker save on Monsters forward Jack Williams.

Weekly rewind (1-0-1-0)

SATURDAY, NOV. 15

Wolves 3, Monsters 2: Skyler Brind’Amour had a goal and an assist while Felix Unger Sorum and Dominik Badinka also scored to propel the Wolves to their third victory in the last four contests.

SUNDAY, NOV. 16

Monsters 3, Wolves 2 (OT): Justin Robidas and Evan Vierling scored in regulation but the Wolves fell short as Cleveland earned a split of the weekend series behind the game-winner from Luca Pinelli in overtime.

First Star of the Week

Where we stand

7-4-3-0, third in the Central Division.

UPCOMING SCHEDULE