Pavel Francouz
Pavel Francouz Czech: [ˈpavɛl ˈfrantsouz] (born 3 June 1990) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL).
| Pavel Francouz | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Francouz in 2015 | |||
| Born |
3 June 1990 Plzeň, Czechoslovakia | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Colorado Avalanche HC Plzeň HC Oceláři Třinec HC Litvínov Traktor Chelyabinsk | ||
| National team |
 | ||
| NHL Draft | Undrafted | ||
| Playing career | 2008–present | ||
Playing career
Czech Republic
Francouz first played at the junior level within the ranks of hometown club, HC Plzeň. As a 15-year-old he backstopped the club's under-18 team in the 2005–06 season posting sub 2.00 GAA. In the following 2006–07 season he led the league with 25 wins. In the 2007–08 season, Francouz assumed the starting goaltender position at the highest junior level in the Czech Republic at the under-20 league. He recorded 25 wins in 37 games to lead the club into the post-season.
Having signed a first team contract with HC Plzeň, Francouz made his professional debut in the Czech Extraliga during the 2008–09 season. In 15 games he collected 6 wins with a solid SV% of .922. At the under-20 level he finished the season with the League's best statistics in all categories.
Francouz spent the next 2009–10 season continuing his development, appearing in 8 Extraliga games, while also playing in the Czech 1. Liga on loan to HC Tabor and SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč.
On 13 May 2010, in order to earn more experience professionally, Francouz left Plzeň to sign a contract with HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi of the Czech 1. Liga.[1] In the 2010–11 season, he was initially loaned to former 1. Liga club SK Horácká before splitting the year in making an impact with his new club Ústečtí Lvi, posting the best GAA and SV% in the League and leading Slovan Ústečtí Lvi to the championship.
During his second season with Ústečtí in 2011–12, Francouz strong play was rewarded as he was loaned and trained with HC Oceláři Třinec. He made in just one appearance with Třinec, allowing 4 goals against before he was replaced in the second intermission.[2]
On 9 May 2012, Francouz secured a place in the Extraliga agreeing to a contract with HC Litvínov beginning from the 2012–13 season.[3] He instantly assumed Litvínov's starting role and in 46 games repaid the club by registering the most league wins with 26 and earn recognition as the Extraliga's Best Goaltender.[4]
In the 2014–15 season, Francouz through 46 games cemented his status as the best Goaltender in the Czech Republic, leading the league in most statistical categories, to earn the MVP award of both regular season and playoffs as Litvínov claimed the Championship.[4]
Traktor Chelyabinsk
After three years in Litvínov, Francouz opted to leave as a free agent and continue his career in Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) by agreeing to a three-year contract with Russian outfit, Traktor Chelyabinsk on 30 April 2015.[5] In his first season with Traktor in 2015–16, Francouz assumed backup duties to Vasili Demchenko. He posted a .924 save percentage despite collecting just 3 wins in 18 games as Chelyabinsk missed the post-season.[6]
In the following 2016–17 season, Francouz shared the starting role with Demchenko after initially earning KHL player of the week honors (30 October). He continued his strong play earning a selection to the 2017 All-Star Game. In 30 games with Traktor, Francouz accumulated 14 wins and finished the year with the KHL's best SVS% (.953).[7]
Despite lucrative contract offers and interest, Francouz was not released from the final year of his contract and remained in Traktor for the 2017–18 season.[4] He again shared starting duties and appeared in a season high 35 games for 15 wins and for the second consecutive season led the league in SVS%. Selected to backstop the club in the post-season, and led Traktor to the Conference Finals before suffering a series defeat to eventual Champions Ak Bars Kazan.[8]
Colorado Avalanche
Francouz signed a one-year one-way deal of $690,000, contract with the Colorado Avalanche on 2 May 2018.
On 1 July 2019, it was announced that Francouz would be the backup goalie for the upcoming season. [9]
On 21 February 2020, The Avalanche signed Francouz to a two-year, 4 million dollar contract extension.
International play
Francouz was first introduced to the International stage at the Junior level, competing for Czech Republic at the Division I 2008 World U18 Championships in Kazan, Russia. As the team's backup he appeared in one game, helping Czech Republic place first in Group A and return to the Top Division for the following year. He next featured for the Czechs at the 2010 World Junior Championship.
Francouz made his senior debut with the Czech Republic, competing in the 2013 World Championship. He made two relief appearances for the Czechs in a 7th-place finish. He was named to the roster of the 2014 World Championships, however failed to feature in a game before making his first full start at the 2016 World Championships.
In the 2017 World Championships he shared netminding duties with Petr Mrázek, posting a 3–1 record with a 1.49 goals against and 9.10 save percentage.[9] As an established member of the national team, Francouz was next selected to participate at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, Korea.[10] As the first choice, Francouz appeared in every game for the Czech Republic, posting a 4–2 record in helping reach the semi-finals before losing to Russia. He was unable to prevent the Czechs suffer a 4–6 defeat in the bronze medal game against Canada on 24 February 2018.[11]
On 26 April 2018, Francouz was slated to make his fifth tournament appearance with Czech Republic after he was selected for the 2018 World Championships.[12]
Personal
Francouz was born in Plzeň of then Czechoslovakia. When he first started playing hockey, Francouz was a defenseman. His first language is Czech, but he also gained English and Russian fluency in high school.[13] He holds a pilot license, in which he uses throughout the off-season.[14]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | OTL | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2007–08 | HC Plzeň | Czech U20 | 37 | 25 | 12 | 0 | 2163 | 95 | 4 | 2.64 | .915 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 299 | 12 | 0 | 2.41 | .926 | ||
| 2008–09 | HC Plzeň | Czech U20 | 20 | 16 | 4 | 0 | 1205 | 35 | 6 | 1.74 | .953 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | HC Plzeň | CZE | 15 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 709 | 35 | 0 | 2.96 | .922 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 156 | 5 | 0 | 1.92 | .941 | ||
| 2008–09 | SHC Klatovy | CZE-3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 25 | 4 | 0 | 9.60 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | HC Plzeň | Czech U20 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 360 | 11 | 0 | 1.83 | .948 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 120 | 4 | 0 | 2.00 | .944 | ||
| 2009–10 | HC Plzeň | CZE | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 469 | 29 | 0 | 3.71 | .867 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | HC Tabor | CZE-2 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 546 | 22 | 0 | 2.42 | .906 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | CZE-2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 238 | 7 | 1 | 1.76 | .948 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 553 | 25 | 0 | 2.71 | .926 | ||
| 2010–11 | HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi | Czech U20 | 29 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 1527 | 87 | 0 | 3.42 | .896 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč | CZE-2 | 15 | 9 | 6 | 0 | 913 | 27 | 3 | 1.77 | .952 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi | CZE-2 | 15 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 922 | 32 | 1 | 2.08 | .926 | 10 | 9 | 1 | 602 | 18 | 0 | 1.79 | .944 | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi | CZE-2 | 16 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 947 | 28 | 3 | 1.77 | .939 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | HC Oceláři Třinec | CZE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 40 | 4 | 0 | 6.00 | .800 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Litvínov | CZE | 46 | 26 | 20 | 0 | 2706 | 117 | 1 | 2.59 | .920 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 440 | 16 | 2 | 2.18 | .935 | ||
| 2013–14 | HC Litvínov | CZE | 48 | 24 | 24 | 0 | 2906 | 98 | 6 | 2.02 | .932 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | HC Litvínov | CZE | 46 | 32 | 12 | 0 | 2711 | 94 | 7 | 2.08 | .931 | 17 | 12 | 5 | 1045 | 24 | 4 | 1.38 | .953 | ||
| 2015–16 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | 18 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 787 | 29 | 0 | 2.21 | .924 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | 30 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 1719 | 41 | 5 | 1.43 | .953 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 335 | 12 | 0 | 2.15 | .924 | ||
| 2017–18 | Traktor Chelyabinsk | KHL | 35 | 15 | 11 | 5 | 1964 | 59 | 5 | 1.80 | .946 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 696 | 22 | 0 | 1.90 | .949 | ||
| 2018–19 | Colorado Eagles | AHL | 49 | 27 | 17 | 3 | 2803 | 125 | 3 | 2.68 | .918 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 236 | 13 | 0 | 3.31 | .895 | ||
| 2018–19 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 62 | 2 | 0 | 1.97 | .943 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Colorado Avalanche | NHL | 34 | 21 | 7 | 4 | 1915 | 77 | 1 | 2.41 | .923 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 316 | 17 | 1 | 3.23 | .892 | ||
| KHL totals | 83 | 32 | 27 | 11 | 4470 | 129 | 10 | 1.73 | .945 | 18 | 8 | 9 | 1031 | 34 | 0 | 1.98 | .943 | ||||
| NHL totals | 36 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 1976 | 79 | 1 | 2.40 | .923 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 316 | 17 | 1 | 3.23 | .892 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Czech Republic | WJC18-D1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | .895 | |
| 2010 | Czech Republic | WJC | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 100 | 8 | 0 | 4.76 | .862 | |
| 2013 | Czech Republic | WC | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 | |
| 2016 | Czech Republic | WC | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 245 | 10 | 0 | 2.45 | .896 | |
| 2017 | Czech Republic | WC | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 241 | 6 | 1 | 1.49 | .910 | |
| 2018 | Czech Republic | OLY | 6 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 370 | 14 | 0 | 2.27 | .905 | |
| 2018 | Czech Republic | WC | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 303 | 12 | 1 | 2.38 | .904 | |
| 2019 | Czech Republic | WC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 155 | 2 | 2 | 0.77 | .957 | |
| Junior totals | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 160 | 10 | 0 | 3.85 | .882 | |||
| Senior totals | 24 | 17 | 4 | 0 | 1321 | 44 | 4 | 2.00 | .910 | |||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| Czech20 | ||
| Best GAA (1.74) | 2009 | [15] |
| Best SV% (.953) | 2009 | |
| Czech.1 | ||
| Best GAA (1.93) | 2011 | |
| Best SV% (.940) | 2011 | |
| Best Playoff GAA (1.79) | 2011 | |
| ELH | ||
| Best Goalie | 2013, 2014 | |
| Best SV% (.931) | 2014 | |
| Best Playoffs GAA (1.38) | 2014 | |
| Best Playoffs SV% (.953) | 2014 | |
| Playoffs MVP | 2014 | |
| KHL | ||
| All-Star Game | 2017 | [7] |
| Best SV% (.953) | 2017 | |
| Best SV% (.946) | 2018 | |
References
- "Ustecti lvi agree to terms with promising goaltender Pavel Francouz" (in Czech). HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi. 13 May 2010. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
- "Francouz will split time between Ustecti and Trinec" (in Czech). irozhlas.cz. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2010.
- "Francouz leaves Ústečtí Lvi" (in Czech). HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi. 9 May 2012. Retrieved 9 May 2012.
- "Francouz chose Colorado over Nashville". eurolanche.com. 4 May 2018. Retrieved 4 May 2018.
- "Confirmed! Pavel Francouz departs for Chelyabinsk" (in Czech). hokej.cz. 30 April 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
- "Traktor Chelyabinsk team statistics 2015–16". eliteprospects.com. 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
- "Pavel Francouz aims to be champion!". Kontinental Hockey League. 27 January 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2018.
- "Avalanche signs Goaltender Pavel Francouz to one-year deal". Denver Post. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- "Avalanche signs Pavel Francouz". Colorado Avalanche. 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
- Jáchim, Václav. "Jandačova volba: Lídry pro OH Erat a Červenka, chybějí Michálek či Růžička". hokej.cz. hokej.cz. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
- "Bronze medal game summary" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- "Czech announce final roster for Worlds". cslh.cz (in Czech). 29 April 2018. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 6 May 2018.
- Odd Man Rush | Episode 4 | Featuring Pavel Francouz, retrieved 24 October 2019
- "Evaluating the Pavel Francouz signing". milehighsticking.com. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.
- "Pavel Francouz player profile". eliteprospects.com. 3 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database