Boston College head coach Jeff Brown praises Jacob Fowler's consistency

Montreal Canadiens top goaltending prospect Jacob Fowler was the topic of discussion during a recent episode of The Sick Podcast - Recrutes Draftcast.

Grant McCagg interviewed Boston College Eagles head coach Jeff Brown, and you had to expect that Fowler would come up as a topic. Brown coached Macklin Celebrini in 2023-2024 and has coached against Lane Hutson, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perrault. But his insight about Fowler is encouraging to hear.

From the moment he was drafted, his maturity and competitiveness oozed during conversations with the media. It's not surprising that he was complimented by his head coach about his mental strength. His consistency stands out - it doesn't appear like he is working hard, because he tracks the puck well and his reads are elite.

But Brown pointed out that Fowler is indeed working tremendously hard, but he is so positionally sound that it looks like he isn't. His reads allow him to track plays and he is almost always ready for the shot. Fowler thinks the game and position are at a high level, and like the elite guys, he seems so ahead of the opposition.

Goaltending is a mentally taxing position, they stand in a net and face 100 miles per hour pucks being launched at them. If they make a mistake, a red light goes on behind them, and either the crowd goes nuts or they are angry. It's not a position for the faint of heart, thankfully Fowler is mentally strong and up to the challenge.

With a chip on his shoulder, and a stranglehold on another brilliant season in the NCAA, I expect that this guy is going to do big things. His freshman season was one for the ages, and got the Habs' brass on board for Fowler. Now in his sophomore season, Fowler continues his dominance; sporting a 11-2-1 record, with four shutouts and a 1.73 GAA.

Caufield scores 100th NHL, continues pacing for career high in goals

With Cole Caufield's 19th goal in his 37th game of the season, he is approaching last season's total. The tally puts him nine short of his career high (28) achieved in 2023-2024. With 46 games remaining, it's increasingly likely that he reaches a new career best.

Caufield plays at his best when Habs captain Nick Suzuki is dishing nice passes, and having Juraj Slafkovsky in the mix creates a nice trio. A confident Slafkovsky is a difference-maker for the Canadiens attack, and he complements No. 13 and 14 perfectly. If Laine played the entire season, I would predict that the Habs would potentially have two 40-goal scorers.

Perhaps that will have to wait until Ivan Demidov joins the Habs and passes pucks to Laine. One can dream right? What a beautiful sight that would be. The future is bright, and forty goals could be Caufield just getting started, maybe Laine too?