After the Vancouver Canucks re-assigned goaltender Ty Young to the American Hockey League's Abbotsford Canucks from ECHL Kalamazoo, it left the Wings without a second netminder one day before they were set to take on the Bloomington Bison.
That vacancy didn't last too long on the Kalamazoo Wings' roster as the team was able to go out and add a former NCAA Division 1 goaltender.
About five hours before puck drop last night, the Kalamazoo Wings shared that they agreed to terms on a contract with 25-year-old goaltender Logan Neaton and that he would be the back-up to Jonathan Lemieux against Bloomington.
Neaton, a former draft pick of the Winnipeg Jets, spent five seasons in the NCAA - two with UMass-Lowell and the final three with Miami University (Ohio). During his final NCAA season in 2023-24, Neaton had a record of 6-14-2 with a 3.24 goals against average, an .894 save percentage and one shutout in 23 games.
For the foreseeable future, the Kalamazoo Wings' goaltending tandem will be Jonathan Lemieux and Logan Neaton. Lemieux was pretty solid during his first professional season in 2023-24, but the young tandem will be in tough this season and it's going to be interesting how they're utilized, whether they're on a rotation or if the aforementioned Lemieux has the starting reigns for the season.
The Kalamazoo Wings will be back in action tomorrow, November 10th, as they host the Toledo Walleye for their annual Military Appreciation Game. Puck drop is set for 3 pm ET.
POLL | ||
Who should get the majority of the starts with the Kalamazoo Wings? | ||
Jonathan Lemieux | 56 | 70 % |
Logan Neaton | 24 | 30 % |
List of polls |