Jake Allen (ice hockey)

Jake Allen
Jake Allen
Born	August 7, 1990 (age 36); Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
Occupation	Professional ice hockey goaltender
Years active	2012–present
Known for	Playing in the NHL for St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, New Jersey Devils; Stanley Cup champion (2019)

Jake Allen (born August 7, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected 34th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2008 NHL entry draft, Allen secured the Stanley Cup with St. Louis in 2019 and has also been a member of the Montreal Canadiens.

Amateur

Hailing from Fredericton, New Brunswick, Allen’s early career featured playing with the Midget "AAA" Fredericton Canadiens before being chosen in the third round of the 2007 Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) draft by the St. John's Fog Devils. After his initial season, the franchise moved to Verdun and was renamed the Montreal Junior Hockey Club for the 2008–09 campaign. In January 2010, following his participation in the World Juniors tournament, Allen was traded to the Drummondville Voltigeurs, where he compiled an impressive 18-3 record, boasting a .933 save percentage and a 1.75 goals against average (GAA). His outstanding performance earned him the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy as the QMJHL’s top goaltender for the 2009–10 season.

St. Louis Blues (2012–2020)

Allen inked his entry-level deal with the St. Louis Blues on October 22, 2008. He made his NHL debut during the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, briefly stepping in for Brian Elliott during the Western Conference semifinals on April 30. During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 NHL season, Allen secured his first NHL start and victory with a 4–3 overtime win against the Detroit Red Wings on February 13, 2013.

In April 2014, Allen was honored with the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the American Hockey League’s premier goaltender for the 2013–14 season. On March 26, 2016, he achieved a shutout in a 4–0 win over the Washington Capitals, contributing to a franchise record for St. Louis by extending their streak without conceding a goal. During the 2015–16 season, Allen recorded 26 wins while maintaining a 2.35 GAA and a .920 save percentage.

The 2016–17 season presented challenges for Allen, including being pulled from four of six starts and struggling notably against Washington on January 19, 2017. After missing a game due to his daughter’s birth, he rebounded impressively, earning Second Star of the Week honors on February 13 by going undefeated in three starts with a stellar 1.00 GAA and .967 save percentage, which included his thirteenth career shutout.

Allen reached a milestone with his 100th NHL victory on November 16, 2017, after leading St. Louis to a 4–1 triumph over the Edmonton Oilers. He was part of the Blues’ victorious Stanley Cup roster in 2019 behind rookie goaltender Jordan Binnington. Although Allen started that season as St. Louis’ primary goalie, Binnington took over following a midseason slump that saw the team at last place. Allen concluded that half of the season with a record of 5–4–4.

Montreal Canadiens (2020–2024)

On September 2, 2020, Allen was traded to the Montreal Canadiens along with a seventh-round pick in the 2022 draft in exchange for third- and seventh-round selections in 2020. Shortly thereafter, on October 14, he agreed to a two-year contract extension worth $5.75 million through the end of the 2022–23 season.

Allen quickly proved to be a dependable backup to Carey Price, particularly during Price’s concussion-induced absence in the shortened 2020–21 campaign. His strong performances were credited with helping Montreal secure a spot in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs; however, he did not see ice time once Price returned. For his contributions during that regular season, Allen received Montreal’s Jacques Beauchamp Molson Trophy as the player who had an outstanding role.

Ahead of the 2021 NHL expansion draft, Montreal chose to protect Allen over Price by waiving Price’s no-trade clause, anticipating that Price’s age and salary would discourage selection by Seattle. Early into the following season (2021–22), when Price entered the NHLPA Player Assistance Program, Allen stepped into Montreal’s starting goalie role. Among his standout moments was a remarkable 45-save shutout against San Jose—the team’s first victory at that venue in more than two decades.

In January of 2022, Allen sustained a groin injury that sidelined him for approximately eight weeks. Upon returning in March, he made several critical saves despite losing one game but later exited an April contest due to another lower-body injury, prematurely ending his season. He described this stretch as “a season from hell.”

With Price unavailable for all of the 2022–23 season, Allen took on starting responsibilities entering his contract’s final year. New general manager Kent Hughes expressed intentions to extend Allen’s tenure; accordingly, on October 1, 2022, Allen signed a two-year extension valued at $7.7 million. That year saw backup Sam Montembeault emerge strongly and share goaltending duties following an injury to Allen in January 2023. At season’s end, Allen placed third in voting for Montreal’s Molson Cup MVP behind captain Nick Suzuki and Montembeault.

The Canadiens began their 2023–24 campaign carrying three goaltenders—Allen, Montembeault, and prospect Cayden Primeau—leading to trade considerations due to waiver restrictions affecting Primeau. Despite limited appearances early on, Allen reached his milestone of playing his 400th NHL game on November 2, 2023. By March of that season, he had posted a record of 6–12–3 with an .892 save percentage before being traded later that month.

New Jersey Devils (2024–present)

On March 8, 2024, Allen was exchanged to the New Jersey Devils in return for a conditional third-round pick in the 2025 draft. He made his first appearance on March 14, delivering 35 saves in a 6–2 triumph over the Dallas Stars.

On October 14, Allen achieved a 20-save shutout versus the Utah Hockey Club, becoming the first NHL goalie to earn a win against 33 distinct league teams. He notched his 200th career victory on November 23 during a 3–2 win against the Washington Capitals.

After entering unrestricted free agency, Allen secured a five-year contract extension with the Devils on July 1, 2025.

International play

Allen represented Canada at the 2008 World U18 Championships, where he earned gold and was recognized as both the top goaltender and MVP. He also participated with the national junior team at the 2010 World Junior Championships, capturing a silver medal after four wins and a final defeat to Team USA.

Personal life

Prior to his NHL career, Allen excelled as a junior golfer, winning back-to-back tournaments on a course where he was employed. He and his wife Shannon are parents to three daughters.

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular season									Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	W	L	OT	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%	GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2007–08	St. John's Fog Devils	QMJHL	30	9	8	4	1,507	76	2	3.14	.901	4	2	1	128	8	0	3.74	.855
2008–09	Montreal Junior Hockey Club	QMJHL	53	28	25	0	3,023	144	3	2.86	.916	10	4	6	585	35	1	3.59	.897
2009–10	Montreal Junior Hockey Club	QMJHL	23	11	11	0	1,241	55	1	2.66	.912	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Drummondville Voltigeurs	QMJHL	22	18	3	0	1,271	37	3	1.75	.933	14	9	5	840	34	1	2.43	.899
2010–11	Peoria Rivermen	AHL	47	25	19	3	2,805	118	6	2.52	.917	3	0	3	189	12	0	3.80	.888
2011–12	Peoria Rivermen	AHL	38	13	20	2	2,148	105	1	2.93	.915	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	St. Louis Blues	NHL	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	0	1	0	0	0.00	1.000
2012–13	Peoria Rivermen	AHL	35	13	19	2	2,054	99	2	2.89	.904	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	St. Louis Blues	NHL	15	9	4	0	804	33	1	2.46	.905	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Chicago Wolves	AHL	52	33	16	3,138	106	7	2.03	.928	9	3	6	511	28	1	3.29	.879
2014–15	St. Louis Blues	NHL	37	22	7	4	2,077	79	4	2.28	.913	6	2	4	328	12	0	2.20	.904
2015–16 NHL season	St. Louis Blues	NHL	47	26	15	3	2,584	101	6	2.35	.920	5	1	1	170	7	0	2.49	.897
2016–17 NHL season	St. Louis Blues	NHL	61	33	20	5	3,419	138	4	2.42	.915	11	6	5	675	22	0	1.96	.935
2017–18 NHL season	St. Louis Blues	NHL	59	27	25	3	3,317	152	1	2.75	.906	—
2018–19 NHL season	St. Louis Blues	NHL	46		19		17		8		2,568		121		3		2.83		.905	1	0	24	1	0	2.45	.750
2019–20 NHL season	St. Louis Blues	NHL	24		12		6		3		1,339		48		2		2.15		.927	5	2	1	286	9	0	1.89	.935
2020–21 NHL season	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	29		11		12		5		1,703		76		0		2.68		.907	—
2021–22 NHL season	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	35		9		20		4		1,948		107		2		3.30		.905	—
2022–23 NHL season	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	42		15		24		3		2,451		145		1		3.55		.891	—
2023–24 NHL season	Montreal Canadiens	NHL	21		6		12		3		1,216		74		0		3.65		.892	—
2023–24	New Jersey Devils	NHL	13 6 6 1 771 40 0 3.11 .900
2024–25 NHL season	New Jersey Devils	NHL	31 13 16 1 1,738 75 4 2.66 .908
NHL totals			460	208	184	43	25,932	1,189	28	2.76	.908	29	11	11	1,456	51	0	2.06	.925

International

Year	Team	Tournament	Outcome	GP	W	L	MIN	GA	SO	GAA	SV%
2008	Canada	U18	Template:Gold1	7	6	1	420	10	2	1.43	.948
2010	Canada	WJC	Template:Silver2	5	4	0	291	10	2	2.06	.902
Senior career totals				5	4	0	291	10	2	2.06	.902

Awards and honours

Award	Year
International
WJC18 All-Star Team	2008
WJC18 Best Goaltender	2008
WJC18 Most Valuable Player	2008
CHL
First All-Star Team	2010
CHL Goaltender of the Year	2010
QMJHL
Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy	2010
First All-Star Team	2010
AHL
All-Star Game	2011, 2014
First All-Star Team	2014
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award	2014
NHL
All-Rookie Team	2013, 2015
Stanley Cup champion	2019

External links