Mandolese made his NHL debut February 14, making 46 saves in Ottawa’s 3-2 shootout victory over the Islanders.
The 22-year-old spent playing time with the Senators, the team’s AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators and its ECHL affiliate, the Allen Americans last season.
“Kevin made some good strides last season,” said Ottawa Senators general manager Pierre Dorion. “He’s a talented goaltender who gained confidence throughout the year, especially after experiencing his first taste of NHL action. His signing further strengthens what we feel is a deep pool of goaltending prospects in the organization. We’ll look for him to take another step forward in the year ahead.”
Mandolese earned a 6-8-3 record over 17 games in Belleville last season. He also posted a record of 1-2-0 over three games with Ottawa and a season’s best 5-1-0 mark over seven contests with Allen which also saw him register a 2.64 goals-against average and a .927 save percentage. He also appeared in nine of the Americans’ 11 post-season games and notched his lone shutout of the season in Allen’s 1-0 opening round Game 3 win at Kansas City on April 24.
