Notre Dame Hockey: After Shunning Sabres, Cal Petersen Signs with the Los Angeles Kings

Cal Petersen, who amassed a .924 save percentage between the pipes for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, today signed a two-year entry-level deal with the Los Angeles Kings.

Petersen, 22, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2013, but exercised a little-used clause in the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement to become a free agent May 31.

The Waterloo, Iowa native is definitely needed by the Kings, assistant general manager Mike Futa said in a statement.

"We had a hole in our goaltending depth and we feel our success in development is well documented and our scouting staff and our goaltending coaches strongly believe Cal stood alone at the top of our list. We are ecstatic as he is significant to the future of our organization.”

Petersen started 90 consecutive games by the time his three-year tenure in South Bend concluded, the fourth-best streak in NCAA history. His save percentage is first among all Irish goaltenders, while he’s also in the record books for minutes played (second, with 6,498), saves (third, with 3,042), goals against average (third, with 2.30). He posted a 55-39-15 record with the Irish.

My fondest Petersen memory is when he stopped a record 87 shots on goal during the longest game in NCAA history. Even though the Irish lost, Petersen’s performance seemed inhuman.

Here’s some reaction from Petersen’s former team and coach, as well as his new team after the signing became official:

Also, LOL Kings graphics department:

LAKings.com