The Calgary Flames have made some structural adjustments and additions to their goaltending supports. On Wednesday, the club announced the creation of a goaltending department.
Flames goalie coach Jordan Sigalet will now oversee the department, which consists of development goalie coach Thomas Speer and NHL goalie coach Jason Labarbera, promoted from the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen.
The #Flames have created a goaltending department that breaks down as follows:
Jordan Sigalet: Director of Goaltending
Jason Labarbera: Goaltending Coach
Thomas Speer: Development Goalie Coachhttps://t.co/wRXakHMzTD
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) December 16, 2020
Sigalet was a Boston draft pick in the seventh round of the 2001 NHL Draft. While his pro career came to a premature end due to complications from his multiple sclerosis, Sigalet has been prolific since retirement as a goalie coach. He joined the Flames organization in 2011 as a goalie coach with the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat and became the NHL goalie coach in 2014, replacing Clint Malarchuk.
- With Abbotsford, Sigalet worked with Joni Ortio, Danny Taylor, Leland Irving, Barry Brust, Reto Berra and Olivier Roy
- With the Flames, Sigalet’s worked with Ortio, Jonas Hiller, Karri Ramo, Brian Elliott, Chad Johnson, David Rittich, Eddie Lack, Jon Gillies, Mike Smith and Cam Talbot
Labarbera was a New York Rangers pick in the third round of the 1998 NHL Draft. He played 187 NHL games for the Rangers, Kings, Canucks, Coyotes, Oilers and Ducks over a 16 year pro career. He joined the Hitmen as their goalie coach in 2016 and has worked with Hockey Canada at three major events, notably the past two World Junior tournaments.
- With the Hitmen, Labarbera’s worked with Kyle Dumba, Trevor Martin, Cody Porter, Nick Schneider, Matthew Armitage, Jack McNaughton, Brayden Peters and Carl Stankowski
Speer joined the Flames organization in 2019 as their AHL goalie coach in Stockton. He played NCAA Division III hockey in his playing days, but he’s become quite in-demand as a coach. He’s previously worked with the ECHL’s Allen Americans and USA Hockey’s national development program.
The new structure effectively formalizes a lot of things that were already in the works, with Sigalet overseeing goaltending acquisition and development at all levels, Labarbera handling the day-to-day management of the NHL club’s goaltenders, while Speer will work with all the non-NHL goaltenders on their development.
