The Jacob Fowler era has arrived in Montreal
Carey Price was considered the beacon of quiet, unflappable body language.
Outside of the Bronx cheers during the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs against Boston, nothing ever seemed to really faze him, which led to him becoming one of the greatest goalies of his generation. He was exactly the type of goaltender that coaches wanted to mold their young stars into, but so few could handle the pressure like Price did.
But… what about Jacob Fowler?
“Fowler kind of reminds me more of myself, a little more reserved,” Price told NHL.com’s Dave Stubbs during the summer. “He plays a very quiet game like I did.”
That’s huge praise for the 21-year-old rookie, who has suddenly found himself as Montreal’s No. 1 goalie early in the season. He started the year in Laval, with Jakub Dobeš and Samuel Montembeault handling duties with the big club. But with Dobeš’ struggles and Montembeault’s injury, Fowler has seemingly taken over as the man to beat in the NHL’s oldest market.
Through six games, Fowler has a 5-1-0 record with a shutout and a .924 save percentage. He stole the spotlight in a recent 33-save performance over Winnipeg during the Heritage Classic, proving he could handle the bright lights of the NHL. It wasn’t surprising; Fowler started the year as the league’s top goaltending prospect. In fact, many consider him the best young goalie the Canadiens have had since Price’s arrival nearly 20 years ago.
Fowler has built a career based on winning. Taken 69th overall in 2023, Fowler previously backstopped the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms to a Clark Cup Championship after putting on one of the best World Junior A Challenge goalie performances in tournament history. He then won World Junior gold with USA before setting the NCAA freshman win record at Boston College. Add in an AHL All-Star Game appearance a year ago and some extended NHL duty, and it’s been hard to ignore Fowler Mania.
But now, he’s got the toughest task ever – holding down Montreal’s No. 1 gig. Dobeš has had an ugly season, to say the least, going 1-2-2 with an .847 save percentage. At all strengths, Fowler’s 7.02 GSAx (10th in the NHL) is so far beyond Dobeš’ miserable -3.9 (59th). HockeyStats.com has Fowler’s 0.9 GSAx/60 as the fourth-best in the NHL, too. Dobeš, meanwhile, is sitting near the bottom at -1.3. For reference, Dobeš was in the top 10 in both last year. Fowler’s numbers aren’t just good for a young goalie – they’re good for any goalie, period. The Canadiens are currently battling for a wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but that’s primarily because Fowler has given the team some new life in recent weeks.
At 21, Fowler is the youngest goalie in the NHL, with Pittsburgh’s Sergei Murashov (22) being the only other U-23 netminder in the league. It’s extremely rare for someone that age to make the big leagues – Price was 20 when he broke through, and that was shocking back in 2007. And yet, you can’t say Fowler was rushed, either. His numbers in the AHL the past two years suggest he’s exactly where he needs to be right now.
The Melbourne, Florida native is one of the best puck trackers scouts have seen in an extremely long time. He’s like a human CPU, reading shooters so effectively from just about anywhere on the ice. Fowler is exceptionally strong down low, sealing the ice well while also displaying quick footwork. He never seems panicked in the crease; even on more desperate save attempts, Fowler tends to get himself in the right spot at the right time. Fowler’s glove positioning is about as solid as it gets, too.
Given the nature of modern-day goaltending, it’s difficult to peg many prospects as a future No. 1. But Fowler’s ability to shake off a bad game and bounce back with a jaw-dropping performance is something scouts have always loved. In terms of true technical skill, few goalies are as capable of stealing games as Fowler can. He still has to prove this is more than just a young goalie getting hot for a couple of weeks, but it feels real, at least for now.
Six games isn’t a huge sample size, and he only has 23 regular season NHL games to his credit. But Montreal is no stranger to young goalies coming in, stealing the show for a bit and running with it the rest of the way. That’s exactly what Dobeš did when Montembeault started to fizzle last year. Fowler, meanwhile, has been highly regarded for years now, so it’s not surprising to see him thrive, even early. There’s no way he’s getting sent back to the AHL once Montembeault returns in another two weeks or so.
If there’s any goaltender who could handle the pressure of being a young goalie in one of the sport’s biggest markets, it’s Fowler. His mental toughness and pure athleticism makes it difficult to contend with him most nights. Most expected Dobeš to be one of the NHL’s top goaltenders this year while allowing Fowler to continue getting playing time in the AHL. But when circumstances changed, Fowler took full advantage of his opportunity to become Montreal’s top guy.
We’ll see how long it lasts – maybe a few weeks, maybe the rest of the year, maybe another decade. But as long as Fowler is playing the way he is right now, don’t bet against him.
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