Ohio-born goaltender Lukas Hafner’s Twitter bio reads like any pro goaltender’s would:
“I try and keep the biscuit out of the basket.”
He’s certainly done a good job of that to kick off this season, boasting a .951 save percentage in his first game of the year for the ECHL’s Colorado Eagles. The Western Michigan alumnus, who arrived with Colorado last season after a brief stint with the Columbus Cottonmouths of the SPHL (perhaps best known for formerly boasting North America’s most iconic female goaltender in the men’s circuits), should get a chance to stick with the minor league club after an impressive series of performances last year.
With a permanent pro home perhaps in the cards, it appears that Hafner has gone all-out on his new mask design - and we love it.
The mask design is a work of art by Jason Livery of Headstrong Grafx, who has drawn up some incredible works of art in the past for big names like Scott Darling and Brian Elliott.
It’s a bit of a unique mask concept when compared to the designs worn around the pro leagues right now, but it fits well with the realistic concepts behind many of Livery’s designs. The bold eagle on the side is straight out of a National Geographic spread, and it’s got plenty of dark, formidable hues instead of metallics, glitter paints, or neon brush strokes.
The front pays a nice tribute to the Avalanche with the Colorado logo, giving a nod to the team that recently announced their partnership with the ECHL’s Eagles.
Although Hafner struggled in his final NCAA season (and down the spring stretch when he went pro with the Alaska Aces in 2016), he posted impressive numbers last year. A .935 with Columbus (allowing just 12 goals on 185 shots and posting his second pro shutout) was followed by a .939 with Alaska through five games, then a .926 with Colorado in a five-game stretch down the back end of the season.
He then appeared in 16 postseason games for the Eagles, leading them to take home the Kelly Cup as the ECHL’s top team for the first time in franchise history.
Hopefully, his new mask will be seeing plenty more action this year as a result.