Otters acquire Gaudreau, Lalonde joins Spirit
The Erie Otters, Saginaw Spirit and Sarnia Sting connected on a three-way transaction on Wednesday, one involving a pair of goaltenders.
The Sting said goodbye to long-time netminder Ben Gaudreau, trading him to the Erie Otters in exchange for goaltender Nolan Lalonde, Erie’s third round pick in 2026, fourth round pick in 2027 and sixth round pick in 2027. The Sting then dealt Lalonde and a seventh round pick in 2025 to the Saginaw Spirit for a fifth round choice in 2024.
Gaudreau joins an Otters club off to an 0-3-1-0 start, having surrendered 24 goals in their four outings.
“We are thrilled to be adding a goaltender with a considerable amount of experience in the OHL, and internationally, a two-time gold medalist with Hockey Canada’s National Program,” said Otters general manager Dave Brown. “Alongside his OHL playoff experience, Ben is proven to be up to the task. Equally important, Ben is someone we know will help lead this group, someone with great character, and someone we are excited to add to our group.”
Gaudreau helped guide the Sting to an appearance in the Western Conference Championship Series last spring. He departs Sarnia as the franchise’s fifth-winningest goaltender, playing to a mark of 54-43-8-5 with a 3.60 goals-against average and .890 save percentage over 117 career regular season games. He played to an additonal mark of 12-9 with a 2.55 goals-against average and .910 save percentage across 22 playoff games. The Sting selected Gaudreau with the seventh overall pick of the 2019 OHL Priority Selection and he was taken by the San Jose Sharks in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
“Ben has been a leader both with the organization and the community since he arrived back in 2019,” said Sting general manager Dylan Seca. “We challenged the group coming out of the COVID pause and he was one of the players who wanted to change the culture and build a program that could challenge for the league championship. He’s a world-class goaltender and his Hockey Canada accolades speak for themselves. He’s also a world-class individual, one that endeared himself to his teammates, billets, coaches, hockey, and business staff. Ben’s infectious smile will certainly be missed around the rink.”
In Lalonde, the Spirit acquire acquire a 19-year-old goaltender who was signed as a free agent by the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Kingston, Ont. native owns a career mark of 35-47-5-5 with the Otters, posting a 3.85 goals-against average and .872 save percentage in 99 games. He was Erie’s third round pick in 2020 and was voted to the league’s first all-rookie team in 2022, posting 24 wins as a 17-year-old.
Lalonde heads to Saginaw to join a Spirit club primed to host the Memorial Cup presented by Dow next spring. He’ll join Andrew Oke in the Spirit crease.
“We would like to thank Nolan for his dedication and commitment to the organization.” Brown said of Lalonde. “We are excited to continue to watch Nolan as he pursues his hockey career through Junior, and as he begins his professional journey.”
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