BOSTON — Yaroslav Askarov won’t dress against the Boston Bruins on Thursday, and the San Jose Sharks have signed Kyle Chauvette to an ATO.
University of New Hampshire goalie Kyle Chauvette has been added to the #SJSharks roster. Looks like he signed an ATO and could back up Nedeljkovic tonight.
— Max Miller (@Real_Max_Miller) March 12, 2026
Chauvette is a senior at New Hamshiere, and transferred to UNH after three seasons at Union College. The 24-year-old was UNH’s starting goalie this season and finished with a 13-19-1 record. Chauvette had a 2.63 GAA and a .902 save percentage.
Chauvette was majoring in Economics and now will live the dream of being on an NHL bench for a game. He could play if the San Jose Sharks lose starting goalie Alex Nedeljkovic for any reason.
On UNH’s team website, Chauvette has many fun facts about his life, including his dream job: being a professional hockey player. The newest Sharks EBUG is from Goffstown, N.H., and says his favorite athlete of all time is former Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.
This is the second time this season the San Jose Sharks have been forced to use an Emergency Backup Goalie, as they did so against the Philadelphia Flyers.
The EBUG rule will change after this season, with the NHL allowing teams to sign and bring an EBUG of their choice. There are guidelines the Sharks and other NHL teams must follow when choosing their EBUG.
“Starting with the 2026-27 season, the NHL is replacing the traditional local “fan” EBUG system with a mandatory, league-approved, full-time traveling backup goalie for every team. These goalies cannot have NHL experience, nor more than 80 games of pro experience, or have played professionally in the previous three seasons,” Justin Alpert of Sabres.com writes.