- William Lacelle is 100 percent deaf in his left ear and 50 percent deaf in his right, diagnosed at age 3
- Canada goaltending coach Dan De Palma says the 18-year-old has a legitimate chance to make the World Juniors roster
- Read below for what draft weekend in Buffalo did to Lacelle and why he calls his hearing loss a superpower
William Lacelle did not travel to Windsor to soak up the experience.
Canada goaltending coach Dan De Palma was asked about the 18-year-old’s odds at the World Junior Summer Showcase, and he told NHL.com’s Mike Morreale there is nothing ceremonial about the invitation.
“He’s special. I think he’s a confident kid as a result of some of the challenges he’s had. William’s not here just for the experience. He wants to make the team and he’s got a chance to make the team.”
Lacelle is 100 percent deaf in his left ear and 50 percent deaf in his right. Doctors found it when he was three, after his parents noticed he could hear the television lying on one side and nothing at all on the other.
He calls it his superpower. His dad framed it for him early, as Lacelle explained before the draft: you don’t need to hear the puck to stop it, you need to see it.
So he reads hips and shoulders instead of listening for calls, and he works out stick taps and eye contact with his defensemen.
That system needed a fresh install in Windsor, and he raised it with the group right away.
“I did mention it to the guys and told them, ‘By the way, we might have to adjust a bit on these little things,’ and they’ve been fully open to it. The guys have been amazing.”
The group hit the ice together for the first time in Windsor earlier this week:
His junior club has been keeping score of the goalie room. Blainville-Boisbriand pointed out that the two best shutout goalies in the QMJHL last season, Lacelle and Lucas Beckman, are both wearing the Maple Leaf right now.
Draft weekend in Buffalo went the other way. Lacelle sat at No. 7 on NHL Central Scouting’s final list of North American goalies, then watched all 224 picks come off the board without hearing his name.
Asked what that did to him, he did not dress it up.
“It’s only going to fuel the fire even more. I’ve faced adversity my entire life, and this is just another little thing in the way. I’m convinced that if I just keep stopping pucks, I’ll find my way there.”
Production has never been the question. Lacelle put up 27 wins, a 2.49 goals-against average, a .917 save percentage and seven shutouts in 45 games last season between Rimouski and Blainville-Boisbriand.
Next season takes him to the University of Nebraska-Omaha, a move he announced himself in May:
Windsor is only the first checkpoint before the 2027 World Juniors, and every player there is getting the same hard evaluation. Lacelle’s plan between now and then is the one he gave in the room: keep stopping pucks.
