Out of Nowhere, Carriere Leading Barracuda Playoff Push

Out of nowhere, Gabriel Carriere is leading the San Jose Barracuda’s playoff push.

“He’s a calm kid, very composed, not a whole lot of ups and downs, which is a good trait for a goalie,” said head coach John McCarthy on Wednesday, after Carriere blanked the San Diego Gulls 3-0. “The demeanor for me, it’s desirable. It’s somebody that guys play confident in front of.”

Carriere was signed by the Barracuda out of University of Vermont last year, but San Jose Sharks prospects Yaroslav Askarov and Georgi Romanov were ahead of him on the Cuda depth chart to start the season. Instead, Carriere began his year with the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder.

McCarthy noted that Carriere earned his way to San Jose after recording a 14-9-2 record and .922 Save % with Wichita.

“He did it the right way,” McCarthy said. “He went to Wichita, he worked, he got better, competed when he was there, and came back and got rewarded with a call-up and has worked hard since he’s been here and been rewarded with the results. I think that’s admirable.”

McCarthy added: “A lot of times when guys get sent to the East Coast League, it’s how you react. And I think he reacted the right way.”

Doubling the reward, the San Jose Sharks announced they’d signed Carriere, 24, to a contract for the rest of the year on Mar. 7.

“It was happiness definitely, shock. It all happened really quickly. It’s one thing I’m learning about the pros, some things happen really quickly once they’re in motion,” the Ottawa native said. “I called my girlfriend, called my mom, and just a great moment.”

Speaking of things happening really quickly, that’s how Carriere found himself starting eight of the Barracuda’s last 11 games, since top prospect Yaroslav Askarov went down with a lower-body injury on Feb. 19 against the Ontario Reign. Romanov was also hurt at that time, then on Mar. 6, Vitek Vanecek was traded, forcing the Russian netminder to the NHL.

Carriere has carried the load ably, going 4-2-2 in his last eight starts, with a .912 Save % and two shutouts. Veteran Aaron Dell is backing him up. Overall, Carriere is 7-5-2 with a .908 Save % in his rookie AHL campaign.

“It’s been awesome. Obviously, whenever I come up here, I want to play as much as I can, and feel like I’ve definitely gotten a bigger load of games this time around,” Carriere said. “I’m just trying to make the most of it.”

No doubt, Carriere is making the most of the San Jose Sharks’ organization’s trust in him.

It’s a real statement, entrusting No. 3 or 4 on the Barracuda depth chart in training camp, ahead or behind Dell, with the Cuda’s biggest games this season. San Jose, hoping to qualify for its first non-COVID playoffs since 2019, is sixth in the Pacific Division with a .576 Points %. The top-seven teams in the Pacific make the post-season, the Tucson Roadrunners seventh at .534 and the Bakersfield Condors eighth at .526 snapping at the Barracuda’s heels.

“I wasn’t overly concerned,” McCarthy said, of turning to Carriere with both Askarov and Romanov hurt.

The San Jose Sharks organization is hoping that Askarov can re-join practice next week, which will pave the way for the 2020 No. 11 pick to re-take the Barracuda net sooner than later, but Carriere has certainly opened eyes this season.

Gabriel Carriere is also getting more direct support from San Jose Sharks staff right now, like director of goaltending Evgeni Nabokov, in San Jose, then compared to his time with the Wichita Thunder.

“Just some little things away from the puck and angles, stuff like that,” Carriere said of his practice and video sessions. “I try to just keep a calm game, compact, and try to keep my scrambling to a minimum.”

“I think he’s done a nice job for us,” McCarthy said.