Ewan Huet is looking to follow in his father’s footsteps – while still paving his own path

BASEL, Switzerland – Sometimes, it’s not a bad thing to have a Stanley Cup winner as your father.

Ewan Huet was only five when his father, Cristobal Huet, won the Cup as Antti Niemi’s backup in Chicago. But he still remembers growing up in North America and watching his dad play for various teams in the top league in the world.

When Cristobal left for the top league in Switzerland in 2010-11, he still was an NHL-caliber goaltender. He had been Chicago’s starter for most of 2009-10. But instead of spending years as a No. 2 he went back to Switzerland and built a good career for him, winning the top goaltender award twice in the top league and helping Lausanne earn promotion.

So there was a sense of pride when his son made his NL debut with Lausanne at 18, playing half a period in a loss. For Ewan, it meant the world. And he stopped every shot sent his way in his only pro hockey to date. But to do so as a U-18 player is still an accomplishment and just the start of Ewan’s journey.

The younger Huet said he has some memories of his dad’s Stanley Cup win, and having pictures and other memorabilia helps. He grew up in Montreal mainly before heading to Chicago for the run. Then he did the rest of his growing up in Switzerland, where he split a couple of years playing goalie and forward. He ultimately decided to stick with the family business and took the goalie route, and after making his IIHF tournament debut – an unfortunate 4-2 loss to Finland on Thursday – it seems like he made the right choice.

Eligible for the 2023 NHL Draft, Huet has had quite the season. He started as a backup at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup before putting up solid numbers with Lausanne’s U-20 team. He then saw his first pro action later and spent more time with the U-18 squad to mixed results. After playing teams like Finland, Sweden, USA and Czechia, Switzerland was always seen as the underdog. Still, scouts noticed his play, especially in a February game against Finland, where he made 39 stops. Sure, he allowed five goals, but he was the only Swiss player that seemed to show up that day.

And while the loss on Thursday wasn’t ideal, he kept the Swiss in it. The Finns were the much better team, but some big stops kept it a close game until the end. The fourth was an empty netter, so not his fault. And, in reality, that game should have been a much wider result.

“We showed that if we can play 60 minutes a game, we’d have chances against any team,” Huet said. “It was my first time playing here in Basel and it was unbelievable. That crowd helped us get back in the game.”

Switzerland loves its hockey, and that’s where Huet calls home. His dad represented the French national team and is considered to be the best goalie in the nation’s history – if not the best player, period. But Ewan grew up in Switzerland and is proud to rep the red and white anytime he can.

“I grew up watching the best players from Switzerland, the best NHLers from Switzerland,” Huet said. “It’s an unbelievable hockey country. Although I love France, it was natural for me to play for Switzerland.”

And if you’re curious: yes, his dad cheers for the Swiss now, too.

Locally, Huet looks up to Leonardo Genoni, a modern Swiss goaltending legend. It also happened that Genoni was in net when Huet made his pro debut, something Huet called “a special moment.”

Huet is on the smaller side, standing at just 6-foot-0. While he liked watching his dad, his favorite modern goalies are Juuse Saros and Carey Price. Saros has become the de facto model for goaltenders under 6-foot-2, it seems, with most top goalie prospects mentioning him as of late. Huet likes how technical Saros is and how his smaller size doesn’t effect his play.

Huet isn’t a top prospect by any means, and isn’t even on the NHL’s Central Scouting list. But scouts have liked his ability to shine in games when his team has been outmatched and how he uses his reflexes to his advantage. Huet said he hopes to head to the CHL for next season, with the import draft coming in a few months’ time. So if he doesn’t get drafted, he’ll have a larger base to play in front of to show what he’s capable of.

“Being able to go over there to the CHL would be a dream,” Huet said. “Even if you come back and it didn’t go well, you can always come back and play in the National League or the Swiss League. But the hockey culture (in Canada) is unbelievable. You have to see it.”

Off the ice, Huet loves playing basketball (he’s a Celtics fan), sport video games and spending time at the water. But right now, he’s focused giving Switzerland a chance to win on home ice. They’ll play Norway on Friday and Latvia on Sunday, with a chance to take the third spot in Group B. Switzerland has medaled just once back in 2001, and has finished in the top five just twice since 2010. So success is far from a given at this event. Switzerland doesn’t have a star player this year, but they’ll grind you out.

And if Huet can deliver the results in net, maybe they’ll surprise someone along the way. His journey is just beginning.

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Ewan Huet is looking to follow in his father’s footsteps – while still paving his own path

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