Utah solidified their goaltending depth on Wednesday as they signed goaltender Matt Villalta to a two-year, two-way contract extension. The 25-year-old spent the majority of his 2023-24 with Tucson (AHL) but made his NHL debut for two games with Arizona, going 0-1-0 with a 4.17 GAA and .828 SV%.
Villalta made his first career NHL start earlier this week and allowed five goals on 25 shots (.800 SV%) in a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. He will return to the Tuscon Roadrunners of the AHL, indicating that Connor Ingram is likely nearing his return to the Coyotes roster.
Villalta made a brief appearance in the Coyotes' loss to the Hurricanes on Friday, stopping all four shots that he faced. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick of the Kings in 2017 and signed with the Coyotes this Sumer. In his first season with Tucson (AHL), Villalta has gone 22-11-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .913 SV%. Unfortunately for him, he draws as difficult a matchup as you could imagine for your first start.
Villalta made a brief appearance in the Coyotes' loss to the Hurricanes on Friday, stopping all four shots that he faced. The 24-year-old was a third-round pick of the Kings in 2017 and signed with the Coyotes this Sumer. In his first season with Tucson (AHL), Villalta has gone 22-11-1 with a 2.58 GAA and .913 SV%. Unfortunately for him, he draws as difficult a matchup as you could imagine for your first start.
Connor Ingram suffered an injury on Wednesday against the Minnesota Wild and did not complete the contest. Luckily for the Coyotes, Ingram's injury is not expected to be long-term. Villalta has a 2.58 GAA and .913 SV% in 34 games (22-11-1) with the Tuscon Roadrunners (AHL) this season and will serve as the backup to Karel Vejmelka in the interim.
Villalta was a third-round pick of the Kings in 2017 and played for their AHL team for the last four seasons. In 2023, Villalta went 12-8-1 with a 2.65 GAA and .910 SV% in 22 games with Ontario (AHL). Villalta will likely start the 2023-24 season in the AHL, as he sits behind Karel Vejmelka, Connor Ingram and Ivan Prosvetov (RFA) on the depth chart.
Villalta was a third-round pick in 2017 and served as Ontario's (AHL) No.1 goalie in 2022. The 23-year-old went 28-10-7 with a 2.98 GAA and .903 SV% in 46 AHL games this season.
