Hockey

NHL Unveils 2026-27 Emergency Backup Goalie Lineup

By Hugo Brennan

NHL Unveils 2026-27 Emergency Backup Goalie Lineup

The NHL’s emergency backup goalie rule will look different in 2026-27, with every club required to carry an EBUG as part of its roster setup. The designated goaltender will dress in No. 00, take part in practices and travel with the team, creating a league-wide group that ranges from former college starters to equipment staff, video personnel and hockey operations employees.

New EBUG eligibility and team role

  • An EBUG cannot have appeared in an NHL game while under a standard player contract.
  • He cannot have played more than 80 professional games.
  • He cannot have played professional hockey during the previous three seasons.
  • Each designated goalie will be with the club for games, practices and travel, and will wear No. 00.

Atlantic, Metropolitan and Eastern Conference assignments

  • Boston Bruins — Kyle Chauvette: The 24-year-old played 34 games for the University of New Hampshire last season after beginning his NCAA career at Union College. He previously worked as San Jose’s EBUG and is now Boston’s EBUG and assistant video coordinator.
  • Buffalo Sabres — Jack McNaughton: McNaughton, 24, played four seasons at the University of Western Ontario and appeared in 23 games last season. His earlier stops included Calgary in the WHL from 2018-22 and Okotoks in the AJHL in 2021-22. Buffalo hired him this offseason as both a goalie scout and EBUG.
  • Detroit Red Wings: No EBUG was listed.
  • Florida Panthers — Noah Altman: The 26-year-old spent 2021-25 at Quinnipiac and became the program’s first goaltender to wear an assistant captain’s letter since 1996-97 during his senior season. He also played for Bismarck of the NAHL in 2020-21 and Wenatchee of the BCHL in 2019-20.
  • Montreal Canadiens: No EBUG was listed.
  • Ottawa Senators — Bradley Mitchell: Mitchell, 24, has been a Senators staff member since 2019-20, working as a locker-room attendant and practice goalie. He played for Carleton Place in the CCHL and EOJHL from 2019-22.
  • Tampa Bay Lightning: No EBUG was listed.
  • Toronto Maple Leafs — Brandon Bonello: The 27-year-old has worked as a practice goalie for Toronto and its AHL affiliate in recent seasons. He dressed once for the San Jose Barracuda in 2024-25, played for Saginaw and Kingston in the OHL from 2015-20, and last saw ECHL action with Cincinnati in 2021-22, appearing in three games.
  • Carolina Hurricanes — Jorge Alves: Alves, 47, begins his second year as Carolina’s head equipment manager and his 15th full season as an equipment manager. He famously played the final 7.6 seconds of a 3-1 loss to Tampa Bay on Dec. 31, 2016. After graduating from North Carolina State in 2004, he played for Asheville in the SPHL in 2004-05, then suited up for Greenville, South Carolina, Charlotte and Pensacola in the ECHL from 2005-07.
  • Columbus Blue Jackets — Reid Robertson: The 27-year-old manager of travel and logistics played four Division III seasons at Manhattanville College from 2018-22.
  • New Jersey Devils — Kyle Shapiro: Shapiro, 33, played Division III hockey at the University of Southern Maine and New England College from 2014-18. He backed up Jon Gillies in New Jersey’s 3-2 defeat against the New York Islanders on Jan. 13, 2022, and coached with the NAHL’s New Jersey Titans from 2019-24.
  • New York Islanders — Thomas Sullivan: The 28-year-old Floral Park, New York, product appeared in seven games for Stony Brook University from 2019-23. He dressed as Bridgeport’s backup for an AHL game in 2024 without entering, and had been a goalie coach at Between the Pipes.
  • New York Rangers — Remington Keopple: Keopple, 24, played 19 games across four seasons at Cornell from 2022-26, including seven last season. He previously played for Des Moines in the USHL from 2020-22.
  • Philadelphia Flyers — Daniel Spencer: The 32-year-old returns after serving as Philadelphia’s local emergency option for the past three seasons. He played four years of Division III hockey at Finlandia University from 2015-19.
  • Pittsburgh Penguins — Mike Chiasson: Chiasson, 40, joined the Penguins organization in May 2015. He managed youth hockey from 2015-19 and has been the club’s goaltending development coach since August 2019. A Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native from Sidney Crosby’s hometown, he played for Rimouski from 2005-07 before four seasons at Acadia University.
  • Washington Capitals — Connor Leslie: Leslie, 24, played 29 games at Amherst College between 2021-25. The Leesburg, Virginia, native grew up following the Capitals and spent eight years in the Little Caps program through 2020.

Western Conference EBUG board

  • Anaheim Ducks — Devon Bobak: The 24-year-old spent the past four seasons at Division III Trinity College. Before college, he played for Twin City in the NCDC in 2020-21 and Shreveport of the NAHL in 2021-22.
  • Calgary Flames — Dusty Nickel: Nickel, 35, has held Calgary’s EBUG role for several years. He backed up Dan Vladar on Nov. 27, 2023, after Jacob Markstrom became ill before the game. His playing background includes Calgary of the AJHL from 2009-11, Kindersley of the SJHL in 2010-11 and Mount Royal University in 2011-12. He owns a construction company and coaches with Apex Goaltending.
  • Chicago Blackhawks — Jackson Bernard: Bernard, 25, spent four years at Division III Adrian College and played six games last season. He previously played in the Eastern Hockey League for New York and Maryland and now works as Chicago’s equipment assistant.
  • Colorado Avalanche — Will Slohm: The 27-year-old is also Colorado’s assistant strength and conditioning coach. He spent 2021-25 at Keene State College, playing club hockey for four years and appearing in six NCAA games in 2024-25.
  • Dallas Stars — Jack Williams: Williams, 25, just completed his senior year at Notre Dame, where he played six games across four seasons. He also played for Muskegon and Waterloo in the USHL from 2019-22 and is a cousin of former Stars goaltender Ben Bishop.
  • Edmonton Oilers — Brett Epp: The 28-year-old Edmonton native last played at MacEwan University in 2024-25. His stops have included Nichols College from 2018-20, Nipissing University from 2020-22, Newfoundland of the ECHL in 2022, Vermilion County and Fayetteville in the SPHL, Norfolk and Atlanta in the ECHL during 2022-23, St. Walburg in the Sask-Alta Hockey League and Wetaskiwin in the North Central Hockey League in 2023-24.
  • Los Angeles Kings: No EBUG was listed.
  • Minnesota Wild — Peter Thome: The Wild named the 29-year-old a hockey operations analyst on Aug. 25 and assigned him the EBUG position the same day. Columbus selected Thome in the sixth round, 155th overall, in the 2016 NHL Draft. At North Dakota from 2017-21, he went 19-14-4 with a 2.24 goals-against average, a .904 save percentage and three shutouts in 45 games. His latest professional appearance came in two ECHL games for Maine in 2022-23.
  • Nashville Predators — Dillon Caffrey: Caffrey, 33, is a Tennessee native who played at Mount Juliet High School from 2007-11. He was most recently the Nashville Youth Hockey League’s hockey director while serving as one of the Predators’ two EBUGs.
  • San Jose Sharks — Nathan Airey: Airey, 23, posted a 16-11-3 record in 35 games over three seasons at the University of Minnesota, with a 2.86 GAA, .893 save percentage and one shutout. He played for Cranbrook of the BCHL from 2020-23 before joining Minnesota.
  • Seattle Kraken — Dolan Gilbert: The 25-year-old works in Kraken research and development. He played two games at Michigan State over the past two seasons after beginning his college career at Division III Concordia University Wisconsin, where he appeared in 10 games.
  • St. Louis Blues: No EBUG was listed.
  • Utah Mammoth: No EBUG was listed.
  • Vancouver Canucks: No EBUG was listed.
  • Vegas Golden Knights: No EBUG was listed.
  • Winnipeg Jets — Cole Kehler: Kehler, 28, last played for Altona in the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League from 2023-25. He attended Winnipeg development camp in 2017 and training camps in 2017-18 and 2020-21. After signing with Los Angeles as a free agent in 2017, he played in the ECHL and AHL, joined Manitoba in 2021, and last played professionally in 2021-22 with Rapid City, Cincinnati and Utah in the ECHL.

From rink staff to the No. 00 sweater

The new setup gives teams a known goalie inside their day-to-day operation rather than relying solely on a local emergency option. Several appointments already come from within club staff: Alves works in Carolina’s equipment room, Bernard is in Chicago’s equipment department, Slohm is on Colorado’s strength staff, Robertson runs Columbus travel and logistics, Mitchell has long worked around Ottawa’s locker room, Chiasson is part of Pittsburgh’s goaltending development operation, and Gilbert is in Seattle’s research group.

For a handful of familiar emergency names, the assignment also comes with a real NHL-game memory. Alves entered for the Hurricanes in 2016, Shapiro dressed behind Gillies for New Jersey in 2022, and Nickel was summoned to Calgary’s bench when Markstrom was unavailable in 2023. In 2026-27, those kinds of late roster pivots will have a designated No. 00 already on the team charter.