Capitals goaltending prospect Antoine Keller almost led France to a massive upset in this year’s senior men’s World Championship on Sunday.
The 20-year-old netminder made 47 saves in a 4-3 overtime loss to Finland, which France was leading 3-1 until the Finns scored two six-on-five goals in the final 1:33 of regulation. Keller received his first-ever World Championship start after number-one goalie Quentin Papillon took a 4-1 loss to Latvia on Saturday.
Keller was named the French Player of the Game after the heartbreaking defeat. France ended the game outshot by Finland 51 to 19.
Keller, a 2023 seventh-round pick by the Capitals, spent the 2024-25 season with Lausanne HC of Switzerland’s National League. He primarily served as the team’s backup, appearing in 13 games and posting a 3.16 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. Keller also played two games for the second-tier HC La Chaux-de-Fonds, recording a 1.95 goals-against average and a .935 save percentage.
The Dijon, France native moved to Lausanne HC this past summer on a two-year contract, where former Capitals goalie Cristobal Huet serves as his goaltending coach. Keller spent the 2023-24 campaign in the QMJHL with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan after becoming the first player in Caps franchise history to be drafted out of France and only the sixth French player ever drafted.
Keller and the rest of his French teammates will be off on Monday and return to action on Tuesday against Sidney Crosby and Team Canada. France currently sits sixth in Group A, ahead of Austria and Slovenia after earning a point against Finland.
