photo: Andre Ringuette/IIHF
It’s never quite the same after a legend retires, and that’s how it has felt in France since 2017 when goalie Cristobal Huet retired on home ice after the end of that year’s IIHF WM in Paris.
The goalies in succeeding years included Ronan Quemener, Sebastian Ylonen, and Florian Hardy. Then it was Ylonen and Quentin Papillon, and this year it’s mostly Papillon and 20-year-old Antoine Keller.
Keller is big (6’3”/191cm) and agile and might well be the belated heir apparent to Huet’s throne. Born in Dijon in 2004, he has spent much of the last seven years in Switzerland, his home away from home and the country with which he has dual citizenship.
“I have both passports, so when I was younger, I decided it would be better for me to go to Switzerland to develop," he explained. "I have a great goalie coach in Geneva.”
Appropriately Huet himself was part of Keller’s development. “It was pretty nice to work with him,” Keller said. “He was my goalie coach for a year. He has so much experience, so it was great to learn from him. I remember watching him when I was younger, and I really wanted to be a goalie."
Keller played at the U18 and U20 in 2022. In the former, the team was in Division I-A, and in the latter I-B, finishing first to earn promotion to I-A for 2023. That promotion came primarily because of a 3-2 win over Slovenia, which finished in second place, and Keller stopped 22 of 24 shots in the huge win. A year later, he played four of the five games in I-A, but the team finished fourth and remained in I-A this past season.
The NHL was watching, though. It might not have seemed lofty, but he was selected 206th overall by the Washington Capitals at the 2023 NHL draft, giving him an inkling of the possibility of an NHL career. After the draft, he played for a year in the QMJHL with Acadie-Bathurst before returning to play in the top Swiss league this past season.
But he also has his eyes on the big international prize.
“Of course, it's the biggest stage in international hockey is to play in the Olympics,” he enthused. “We hope we're going to the Olympics in February. It's all good preparation, but we have to focus on this tournament now.”
Indeed, playing at the World Championship is beneficial in two ways. First, the tournament in and of itself is important, but any experience he can get with an eye to the Olympics is also vital. And because he’s only 20, the Olympic dream refers not only to 2026 but also 2030, when France will be the host nation of the Olympic Winter Games.
“The more you play against these teams, the more experience you get and the better you become. It's a big moment on the international stage, and I try to win. It has been a nice experience,” he said.
While he had the option early on, he decided to play for France instead of Switzerland in part because the Swiss never extended an offer but mostly because of what his heart told him.
“I'm from France,” he stated. “I want to play for France.”
After this WM, Keller has a decision to make. Does he return to Lausanne in the Swiss league, or does he move to North America to focus on the Capitals and the NHL? He won’t say which just yet, but either way he will likely be part of any French team that goes to Milan next February.
The goalies in succeeding years included Ronan Quemener, Sebastian Ylonen, and Florian Hardy. Then it was Ylonen and Quentin Papillon, and this year it’s mostly Papillon and 20-year-old Antoine Keller.
Keller is big (6’3”/191cm) and agile and might well be the belated heir apparent to Huet’s throne. Born in Dijon in 2004, he has spent much of the last seven years in Switzerland, his home away from home and the country with which he has dual citizenship.
“I have both passports, so when I was younger, I decided it would be better for me to go to Switzerland to develop," he explained. "I have a great goalie coach in Geneva.”
Appropriately Huet himself was part of Keller’s development. “It was pretty nice to work with him,” Keller said. “He was my goalie coach for a year. He has so much experience, so it was great to learn from him. I remember watching him when I was younger, and I really wanted to be a goalie."
Keller played at the U18 and U20 in 2022. In the former, the team was in Division I-A, and in the latter I-B, finishing first to earn promotion to I-A for 2023. That promotion came primarily because of a 3-2 win over Slovenia, which finished in second place, and Keller stopped 22 of 24 shots in the huge win. A year later, he played four of the five games in I-A, but the team finished fourth and remained in I-A this past season.
The NHL was watching, though. It might not have seemed lofty, but he was selected 206th overall by the Washington Capitals at the 2023 NHL draft, giving him an inkling of the possibility of an NHL career. After the draft, he played for a year in the QMJHL with Acadie-Bathurst before returning to play in the top Swiss league this past season.
But he also has his eyes on the big international prize.
“Of course, it's the biggest stage in international hockey is to play in the Olympics,” he enthused. “We hope we're going to the Olympics in February. It's all good preparation, but we have to focus on this tournament now.”
Indeed, playing at the World Championship is beneficial in two ways. First, the tournament in and of itself is important, but any experience he can get with an eye to the Olympics is also vital. And because he’s only 20, the Olympic dream refers not only to 2026 but also 2030, when France will be the host nation of the Olympic Winter Games.
“The more you play against these teams, the more experience you get and the better you become. It's a big moment on the international stage, and I try to win. It has been a nice experience,” he said.
While he had the option early on, he decided to play for France instead of Switzerland in part because the Swiss never extended an offer but mostly because of what his heart told him.
“I'm from France,” he stated. “I want to play for France.”
After this WM, Keller has a decision to make. Does he return to Lausanne in the Swiss league, or does he move to North America to focus on the Capitals and the NHL? He won’t say which just yet, but either way he will likely be part of any French team that goes to Milan next February.