After two seasons with the San Jose Barracuda, goaltender Gabriel Carriere chose free agency and a one-year contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack for the 2026–27 season, seeking a fresh setting and a stronger defensive group to continue his progression.
Carriere left the Barracuda via free agency and signed a one-year deal with Hartford for 2026–27.
He posted AHL career highs in 2025–26 with 31 appearances, a 15–12–3 record,.896 save percentage and 2.76 GAA.
Hartford’s offseason brought defensive veterans and Jay Leach as head coach, which Carriere views as a supportive environment for a goaltender.
Gabriel Carriere enters the 2026–27 season in a new setting after signing a one-year contract with the Hartford Wolf Pack. The move follows two seasons in San Jose with the AHL's Barracuda and marks the first time Carriere has navigated NHL/AHL free agency. He described Hartford as a strong fit based on early conversations with staff and players and said he is eager to join the club in person.
Carriere's pro timeline in the supplied reporting: he finished his college career at the University of Vermont, joined the Barracuda late in 2023–24, split 2024–25 between San Jose and ECHL Wichita, and spent most of 2025–26 in the AHL. Last season was his best to date: an AHL career-high 31 games, a 15–12–3 record, a.896 save percentage and a 2.76 goals against average. He calls that a career year and wants to build on it.
How past teammates influenced his outlook
Carriere followed the progress of Georgii Romanov, a former San Jose teammate who moved to Springfield last summer and was a significant contributor to Springfield's run to the Atlantic Division Finals. Carriere said Romanov's success reinforced the idea that a change of scenery can spark progress. He expects his own move to Hartford to offer similar opportunity.
Expect Carriere to compete for a regular AHL role and to lean on Hartford's defensive additions and coaching style to improve consistency. His 2025–26 statistical jump provides a baseline: the club's defensive structure and Leach's track record in reducing goals against will be the main variables that could push Carriere's numbers higher. Watch how the Wolf Pack integrate veteran defensemen and how Carriere responds early in training camp and the season.
Carriere's one-year deal with Hartford is a calculated next step: he arrives off a career year in the AHL and chose an organization with new coaching and veteran defensive reinforcements. He frames the move as an opportunity to build on recent gains and is optimistic a new environment will help him continue progressing.
HARTFORD, CT – For goaltender Gabriel Carriere, the 2026-27 season represents a new chapter in his career. After two seasons in San Jose with the AHL’s Barracuda, Carriere hit the free agent market for the first time on Jul. 1. … Continue reading → The post Gabriel Carriere looks to continue upward mobility with Wolf P
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