Tom Aubrun is a French professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played with the Rockford IceHogs in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is the all-time NCAA record holder for consecutive shutouts.[1]

Tom Aubrun
Born (1995-07-08) July 8, 1995 (age 28)
Chamonix, France
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 174 lb (79 kg; 12 st 6 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
AHL team
Former teams
Free Agent
Rockford IceHogs
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2020–present

Playing career edit

Aubrun spent most of his junior career playing for Rouen at various levels, but also made two appearances for the French national team at the World Junior Championships. He helped the U18 French team stave off relegation in 2013 and then turned in a one-game sub-par performance at the U20 tournament in 2014 but still managed to earn a bronze medal for the Division I B level.[2]

Aubrun joined a powerhouse Division III program at Norwich in 2016. He played one period for the Cadets, stopping all three shots he faced, and was part of Mike McShane's 4th and final D-III championship. As a sophomore Aubrun started 9 games for Norwich as the primary backup and helped the team win its conference championship. Norwich fell to Hobart in the conference tournament and narrowly missed earning an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament.

Beginning with his junior year, Aubrun was the starter and also began playing for a new head coach when Cam Ellsworth succeeded McShane. Aubrun was the star of the team, allowing 45 goals in 28 games as Norwich finished 2nd in the conference but won the tournament and earned an automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Tournament. Aubrun backstopped Norwich to the championship game and kept the team in the contest against undefeated Wisconsin–Stevens Point but ultimately fell in overtime.

For his senior season, Aubrun began the season at a tremendous pace, earning shutouts in five of the first six games. After surrendering 3 goals to Massachusetts–Boston he came back to earth but continued to pile up wins as Norwich led the Division III national rankings.[3] Beginning on January 25, Aubrun started another shutout streak and refused to allow anyone to score. In a stretch that included two nationally ranked teams, Aubrun broke the Division III NCAA record with his fifth consecutive shutout.[4] A day later he recorded his sixth consecutive shoutout and surpassed Blaine Lacher as the all-time leader at any level of NCAA play.[5] Even when the NEHC Tournament began Aubrun continued to refuse entry into his net and won all three games without surrendering a goal. His shutout streak ended only when the NCAA cancelled the 2020 Tournament due to the coronavirus pandemic.[6] Aubrun's final record was 9 full games and 572:31 in game time.

Shortly after his college career was over, Aubrun received the Sid Watson Award as the national Division III player of the year.[citation needed] He then became just the third Norwich player in history to earn an AHL contract after finishing his college career when he signed with the Rockford IceHogs.[7] Aubrun was in such rarified air during the season that he hired an agent around Christmas,[8] which he was able to do as a non-scholarship player.

Medal record
Representing   France
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
  2014 Great Britain France

Career statistics edit

Regular season and playoffs edit

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2015–16 Rochester Jr. Americans USPHL 39 12 19 0 1811 109 0 3.61 .911 3 1 2 179 7 0 2.33 .942
2016–17 Norwich University NEHC 1 0 0 0 20 0 0 0.00 1.000
2017–18 Norwich University NEHC 9 7 2 0 532 14 1 1.58 .934
2018–19 Norwich University NEHC 28 20 4 3 1588 45 6 1.70 .929
2019–20 Norwich University NEHC 27 23 2 2 1629 21 13 0.77 .967
2020–21 Indy Fuel ECHL 10 4 5 1 564 37 0 3.94 .876
2020–21 Rockford IceHogs AHL 3 0 2 0 148 11 0 4.46 .864
2021–22 Indy Fuel ECHL 7 1 3 1 370 25 0 4.06 .853
AHL totals 3 0 2 0 148 11 0 4.46 .864

Awards and honors edit

Award Year
NEHC All-Tournament Team 2018
2019
2020
[9]
All-NEHC First Team 2018–19
2019–20
[10]
ACHA Division III Third Team All-American 2018–19 [11]
NEHC Goaltender of the Year 2018–19
2019–20
[12]
NEHC Player of the Year 2018–19
2019–20
[13]
ACHA Division III First Team All-American 2019–20 [14]
USCHO Division III Player of the Year 2019–20 [15]

References edit

  1. ^ "Aubrun's Amazing Senior Season". NBC. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  2. ^ "2014 TOURNAMENT REPORTS". IIHF. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  3. ^ "USCHO Division III Men's Poll - March 23, 2020". USCHO. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  4. ^ "Men's Hockey: Aubrun sets NCAA Division III consecutive shutout record in 5-0 win over Johnson & Wales". Norwich Cadets. February 14, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  5. ^ "Johnson's Shutout Streak No. 2 In NCAA History". UND Hockey. January 2, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  6. ^ "NCAA cancels remaining winter and spring championships due to coronavirus concerns". NCAA.com. March 12, 2020. Retrieved March 12, 2020.
  7. ^ "Norwich goalie Tom Aubrun signs pro contract with AHL team". Burlington Free Press. April 7, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  8. ^ "Tom Aubrun Becomes First DIII Player To Make AHL This Year". Puck Authority. April 11, 2020. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  9. ^ "Awards - NCAA III (NEHC) All-Tournament Team". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "Awards - NCAA III (NEHC) First Team All-Conference". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  11. ^ "Awards - NCAA III (AHCA) Third Team All-American". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  12. ^ "Awards - NCAA III (NEHC) Goaltender of the Year". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  13. ^ "Awards - NCAA III (NEHC) Player of the Year". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  14. ^ "Awards - NCAA III (AHCA) First Team All-American". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
  15. ^ "Awards - NCAA III (USCHO) Player of the Year". Elite Prospects. Retrieved August 10, 2020.

External links edit

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Sid Watson Award
2020
Succeeded by