QMJHL Charlottetown Islanders

Franky Lapenna: Happy to be Protecting the Bridge

Published on February 16, 2022 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL)
Charlottetown Islanders News Release


Jim Hulton is a man who knows his way around a trade deadline. Last year he brought in Colten Ellis, who managed to backstop his Isles squad to the QMJHL semi-finals. This year, as soon as the trading window opened, he gave the Drummondville Voltigeurs a call and acquired Laval, Quebec native Francesco Lapenna.

Francesco "Franky" Lappena was originally drafted by the Val-d'Or Foreurs 57th overall in the 2018 QMJHL Entry Draft. His time in Val-d'Or was short-lived, however, as after thirteen games he was traded to the Voltigeurs in 2019. Lapenna played the parts of three seasons in Drummondville making 64 appearances and recording a 3.02 GAA and a .903 SV%.

"We thought given our past experience with deep playoff runs that one thing you have to have is a proven playoff-ready veteran goalie. I thought the best one on the market was Franky" commented Jim Hulton. "Our scouting staff had high marks on him. The more homework we did, his character matches his on-ice performance which is another key ingredient when building a contending team. He checked all the boxes for us."

We've all heard the saying that a first impression is a lasting one. In Franky's case, I'd say he's done a fine job settling in with the Isles quickly; and showing the fans who watched or listened along to the road trip just why Hulton went out to get him. Lapenna has gone 3-0 in his first three appearances with Charlottetown, recording a 1.96 GAA to go along with a .905 SV%. Not to mention that he already tallied his first Isles shutout when he dominated the Quebec Remparts in their own building back on February 8th.

"Feeling good after my first three games. The first two went great, last one could have gone a bit better however I'm happy we got the win. We've got a great group of guys and have been playing great collectively, just got to keep going." Lapenna said on settling in.

Not quite the same boat Franky's new teammate Dawson Stairs was in when he came from the Eagles at the deadline going from worst to first, however, Lappena did come over from a Voltigeurs team that was young and rebuilding.

"On a rebuilding team in Drummondville, I had the role of being the big brother for the players and someone they could talk to and rely on. In a rebuilding atmosphere, you are always trying to win but most of all develop and teach the younger guys" said Lapenna. "Whereas here in Charlottetown, everyone on the team is a leader with a lot of experience. We all have that cup run in mind, we practice and play with the purpose of achieving our goal. My focus is to do my job and have confidence in my teammates to do theirs, all in that goal of winning."

The pause to the QMJHL season wasn't an ideal situation for anyone, but it did come with a share of small upsides. With five new faces coming to the Isles locker room post-deadline, it gave them a chance to settle in and get comfortable with their new teammates. For Francesco, it wasn't all fresh faces in that locker room as he and Islanders star playmaker Xavier Simoneau were teammates back in Drummondville before they both eventually landed here.

Simoneau had this to say about his netminder. "Franky is one of the best goalies I've ever played with. In Drummondville, he was a big piece of the success. I know he'll bring the same thing here. Even after just a couple of practices, he's tough to score on which can make me mad but it's good for us because he'll be tough to score against for our opponents!"

This season, Charlottetown is considered to have one of the best defensive corps in the league. When you have the likes of Noah Laaouan and Lukas Cormier anchoring down the top pairing, as well as three out of six core D-men drafted to the NHL, it's hard not to be at the top of the league. Having a defense that can make your job easier as a netminder no matter what organization you're playing for makes life between the pipes a whole lot brighter.

"It hasn't taken a long time to mesh with this group, we have great chemistry as a team! As for the D-core, I believe we have the best in the league and they're playing great hockey in front of me." Franky said.

You couldn't ask for a better guy to talk to and it's not hard to tell that Lappena will be an instant fan favorite when he makes his Eastlink Centre debut in the upcoming homestand. Between him and Oliver Satny, this is a tandem that will frustrate opponents game in and game out for the rest of the 2021-22 season.

"He's going to land in line with the past goaltenders we've had, we've been very spoiled in that category. I think fans will be very excited to see how competitive he is in the net." Remarks from Head Coach Jim Hulton.

Tickets are limited at the moment so don't hesitate to go get yours for the upcoming home games because folks, you're not going to want to miss seeing this squad in action! Tickets are available at the Eastlink Centre Box Office in person (Monday to Friday 11 am to 5 pm) as well as before game time, online, or by phone at 902.629.6625. Make sure to get your tickets early and come on out to help your boys in black and harvest gold protect the bridge.

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Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from February 16, 2022


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