Pavel Francouz (; born 3 June 1990) is a Czech professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
for the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). Francouz won the Stanley Cup with the Avalanche in
2022
File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretariat; The global monkeypo ...
.
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 postseason.
Having signed a first team contract with HC Plzeň, Francouz made his professional debut in the
Czech Extraliga
The Czech Extraliga ( cs, Extraliga ledního hokeje, ELH) is the highest-level ice hockey league in the Czech Republic. It was created by the 1993 split of the Czechoslovak First Ice Hockey League following the breakup of Czechoslovakia. The le ...
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
SK Horácká Slavia Třebíč is an ice hockey team in Třebíč, Czech Republic. They play in the Czech 1.liga, the second level of ice hockey in the country. The club was created in 1928.HC Slovan Ústečtí Lvi of the Czech 1. Liga. In the 2010–11 season, he was initially loaned to former 1. Liga club SK Horácká slavia Třebíč 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
HC Oceláři Třinec (''Třinec Steelers'') is a Czech ice hockey team from Třinec who play in the Czech Extraliga, the top tier of Czech ice hockey. Their home arena is the Werk Arena. The team's main sponsors are the local Třinec Iron and Stee ...
. He made just one appearance with Třinec, allowing 4 goals against before he was replaced in the second intermission.
On 9 May 2012, Francouz secured a place in the Extraliga agreeing to a contract with
HC Litvínov
HC Litvinov, called HC VERVA Litvínov for sponsorship reasons is an ice hockey team in the Czech Extraliga. Their home arena is Ivan Hlinka Stadion in Litvínov.
Honours
Domestic
Czech Extraliga
* Winners (1): 2014–15
* Runners-up (1): 1 ...
beginning from the 2012–13 season. He instantly assumed Litvínov's starting role and in 46 games repaid the club by registering the most league wins with 26 and earned recognition as the Extraliga's Best Goaltender.
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.
Traktor Chelyabinsk
After three years in Litvínov, Francouz opted to leave as a free agent and continue his career in the
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL; russian: Континентальная хоккейная лига (КХЛ), Kontinental'naya khokkeynaya liga) is an international professional ice hockey league founded in 2008. It comprises member clubs ba ...
(KHL) by agreeing to a three-year contract with Russian outfit
Traktor Chelyabinsk
Traktor Chelyabinsk, also known as Traktor (russian: Трактор), is a professional ice hockey team based in Chelyabinsk, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Eastern Conference of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). ...
on 30 April 2015. 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 postseason.
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).
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. He again shared starting duties and appeared in a season high 35 games with 15 wins, and for the second consecutive season led the league in SVS%. Selected to backstop the club in the postseason, and led Traktor to the Conference Finals before suffering a series defeat to eventual Champions
Ak Bars Kazan
Hockey Club Ak Bars (russian: Ак Барс, tt-Cyrl, Ак Барс, en, Snow Leopard), also known as Ak Bars Kazan, is a Russian professional ice hockey team based in Kazan. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey ...
.
Colorado Avalanche
Francouz signed a one-year, one-way deal of $690,000 with the Colorado Avalanche on 2 May 2018. After attending his first training camp with the Avalanche, Francouz was assigned to begin his first North American season in 2018–19 with
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...
(AHL) affiliate the
Colorado Eagles
The Colorado Eagles are a professional minor league ice hockey team based in Loveland, Colorado. The Eagles play in the Pacific Division of the American Hockey League.
The Eagles were founded as an expansion franchise in 2003 in the Central Hoc ...
. In transitioning to the smaller rink size, Francouz quickly adapted and registered 6 wins through his first 7 games with the Eagles, earning the starting role. He received his first call-up to the Avalanche on 22 December 2018, and immediately made his NHL debut, relieving
Philipp Grubauer
Philipp Grubauer (born 25 November 1991) is a German professional ice hockey goaltender for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was drafted by the Washington Capitals in the fourth round, 112th overall, of the 2010 NHL Ent ...
in a defeat against the
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...
. Returning to the Eagles, Francouz was recalled for a second time and made a second consecutive appearance in relief stepping in against the
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...
on 1 January 2019. He returned to the AHL and was named in the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic before missing it due to injury. He led the Eagles to the postseason with a 27–17–3 record, finishing third in league wins and leading the AHL in saves. In the playoffs, Francouz started all four contests with the Eagles (posting 1 win), yet unable to help advance past the first-round. Joining the Avalanche's extended squad for their postseason run, Francouz was later re-signed to a one-year, $950,000 contract extension on 25 May 2019.
With the departure of longtime Avalanche goaltender
Semyon Varlamov
Semyon Aleksandrovich Varlamov (russian: Семён Александрович Варламов, ; born 27 April 1988) is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League (NH ...
in the off-season, Francouz assumed the backup duties for Colorado leading into the 2019–20 season. He became the first Avalanche goaltender since Vitali Kolesnik in 2005, to collect his first win in his first NHL start, backstopping a 3–2 overtime victory over the Arizona Coyotes on 12 October 2019. Assuming a higher workload through injuries to Grubauer, Francouz established himself through November and December, posting a 9–0–1 record over 12 games, the longest undefeated streak since Varlamov in 2014. In the midst of starting a career high 7 straight games, on 21 February 2020, Francouz recorded his first NHL shutout and that same day the Avalanche signed him to a two-year, $4 million extension. He finished the regular season, leading the Avalanche with 21 wins and finishing in league top ten in both save percentage and goals against.
With the NHL returning for the playoffs after the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
enforced hiatus, Francouz made his postseason debut in the Western Conference seeding round, becoming the first goaltender in Franchise history to record a shutout in his first start after a 4–0 victory over the
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and were founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minne ...
on 5 August 2020. Helping Colorado advance to the second-round, Francouz was drawn into action after a season-ending injury to Philipp Grubauer in the opening series game on 22 August 2020. Hampered by injury himself, Francouz collected 3 defeats through four games against the Stars before he was ruled out through games 5-7 of the series loss.
In the pandemic-delayed 2020–21 season, Francouz having returned from double-knee surgery backed up Grubauer for the opening two games of the campaign before the Avalanche announced that Francouz would be placed on the long-term injured reserve list to have a season-ending double hip surgery on 4 February 2021.
Returning to health, Francouz suffered another setback after injuring his ankle in his first pre-season game for the 2021–22 season on 5 October 2021. Ruled out for the opening two months of the season, Francouz was sent on a conditioning loan in a return to the Colorado Eagles of the AHL. Collecting 3 wins through 4 games, Francouz returned to the Avalanche and made his first NHL appearance in over a year in a 5–2 defeat to the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
on 16 December 2021. Returning to action after testing positive to COVID and a team-wide shut down, Francouz quickly regained his level of play and after recording 10 wins through his first 14 games, Francouz opted to forgo free agency to sign another two-year, $4 million extension with the Avalanche on 12 March 2022.
Francouz was summoned into action during the
2022 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs was the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL). The playoffs began on May 2, 2022, one day after the 2021–22 NHL regular season, and concluded on June 26, 2022, with the Colorado Avalanche winnin ...
after an eye injury to starter
Darcy Kuemper
Darcy Kuemper (born May 5, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Minnesota Wild in the sixth round, 161st overall, of the 2 ...
during their first round matchup against the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
, and would help the Avalanche win the last two games of the series in a sweep. He would later be named the starter for Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
after Kuemper experienced complications to his eye injury. He recorded his second career postseason shutout in the game, stopping all 24 shots he faced. Francouz remained in net for the remainder of the conference finals, helping the Avalanche reach the
2022 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2022 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2021–22 season and the culmination of the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. The series was between the Eastern Conference and two-time defending Stanley ...
.
International play
Francouz was first introduced to the International stage at the Junior level, competing for
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
Kazan, Russia
Kazan ( ; rus, Казань, p=kɐˈzanʲ; tt-Cyrl, Казан, ''Qazan'', IPA: ɑzan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan in Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka rivers, covering a ...
. 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
The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...
Petr Mrázek
Petr Mrázek (; born 14 February 1992) is a Czech professional ice hockey goaltender for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was selected in the fifth round, 141st overall, by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL En ...
, posting a 3–1 record with a 1.49 goals against and .910 save percentage. As an established member of the national team, Francouz was next selected to participate at the
2018 Winter Olympics
The 2018 Winter Olympics ( ko, 2018년 동계 올림픽, Icheon sip-pal nyeon Donggye Ollimpik), officially the XXIII Olympic Winter Games (french: Les XXIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver; ko, 제23회 동계 올림픽, Jeisipsamhoe Donggye Ollimpi ...
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. 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
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
. He was unable to prevent the Czechs suffer a 6–4 defeat in the bronze medal game against
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
on 24 February 2018.
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.
. When he first started playing hockey, Francouz was a defenseman. His first language is
Czech
Czech may refer to:
* Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe
** Czech language
** Czechs, the people of the area
** Czech culture
** Czech cuisine
* One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus'
Places
* Czech, ...
, but he also gained
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and
Russian
Russian(s) refers to anything related to Russia, including:
*Russians (, ''russkiye''), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*Rossiyane (), Russian language term for all citizens and peo ...
fluency in high school. He holds a pilot license, in which he uses throughout the off-season.
Francouz and his wife welcomed their first child in April 2019.