Top NCAA free agent goaltender Yaniv Perets signs with Carolina Hurricanes

The Carolina Hurricanes have landed the top NCAA free-agent goaltender on the market, signing Yaniv Perets to a two-year, entry-level contract.

The 23-year-old led Quinnipiac University to its first NCAA men’s national hockey championship last weekend, beating the University of Minnesota in overtime.

Perets finished his NCAA career with a tremendous 34-4-3 record with a .931 save percentage and 10 shutouts. He has a 22-5-2 record with 11 shutouts a year ago, giving him an incredible 56-9-5 career record with 21 shutouts and a .935 save percentage in 74 games.

Among other accolades, he was an NCAA Hobey Baker top 10 finalist the past two years and won the 2022 NCAA ECAC’s player and goaltender of the year honors. Prior to going to college, he was the NCDC’s top goaltender while with the Boston Jr. Bruins.

The 6-foot-1 goaltender went undrafted after his junior career but had an excellent opportunity once he made his college debut. The Hurricanes only have one goaltender signed for 2023-24 in Pyotr Kochetkov, who signed a four-year extension worth $2 million starting next season.

Frederik Andersen and Antti Raanta are both UFAs this summer, but one could be brought back to work with Kochetkov next season. It’s worth noting that the Hurricanes are set to lose the Chicago Wolves as its AHL affiliate for next year, so it’s unclear where Perets’ pro journey will begin.

Carolina currently hold the rights to Patrik Hamrla, Jake Kucharski, Yegor Naumov, Nikita Quapp and Jakub Vondras, with Kucharski’s rights being the first to expire in 2024. He recently got into his first game action with the Wolves after signing an ATO with the Wolves. Zachary Sawchenko, who has spent the season in the AHL, will be a Group 6 UFA this summer.