Montreal Canadiens fans don’t get a lot of breaking news in the month of August so here at A Winning Habit, we’ll be counting down our picks for the Top 31 prospects currently in the Habs organization. Each player was carefully deliberated by our writers and ranked accordingly. Today we continue with the 12th ranked prospect, Jakub Dobes.
Dobes was selected by the Canadiens in the 5th round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. As the 136th overall pick, the Czech goaltender flew under the radar of most teams. However, the Canadiens saw something in the young netminder, who was coming off a mediocre first season with the Omaha Lancers of the United States Hockey League. Dobes had put up much better numbers at lower levels, so the Habs took a chance on him, and if early results are any indication, they may have found a real diamond in the rough.
Dobes, who moved to North America in 2018 at the age of 17 to pursue his goal of playing in the NHL, showed immediate improvement putting together a much better second season in Omaha. He posted a 26-16-3 record with a 2.48 GAA, .908 save percentage and two shutouts before making the jump to the NCAA.
In the college ranks, he joined Ohio State University and had an outstanding freshman year in the Big 10, going 21-12-2 with a 2.26 GAA, .934 save percentage, and three shutouts. Dobes was awarded the Mike Richter Award that year as the nation’s top goaltender. He continued his consistent play for the duration of his time with the Buckeyes, putting up a 2.31 GAA and .918 save percentage in each of the next two seasons.
Armed with the two-yearentry-level contract he signed with the Canadiens in April, Dobes will be looking to further his development with the AHL’s Laval Rocket this upcoming season. His arrival will add another level of intrigue to the already murky goaltending situation in Montreal. It appears the Habs will begin training camp with Jake Allen, Samuel Montembeault, and Casey DeSmith on the roster, all experienced NHL netminders. Cayden Primeau still remains an interesting prospect, and after four years in Laval, he is no longer waiver exempt. The Canadiens also added three goalies via the draft this summer.
So, while there are several goaltending options in the organization, the future of the position remains very much unclear. The opportunity is there for Dobes to prove that he can be the guy. At 6’5” and 197 lbs, he certainly has the frame of a modern-day goalie. Dobes is a huge presence in the net, strong positionally, and he plays the puck really well. While he’s a good athlete, he still needs to work on his lateral quickness and rebound control to excel at the pro level. If Dobes can do that, he could have all the makings of a true number 1, and the Canadiens search for their goaltender of the future may already be over.
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