The Montreal Canadiens drafted a trio of goaltenders at the 2023 NHL Draft. While none of them are having poor seasons, one of them stands out well above the rest.
Jacob Fowler was selected in the third round, with the 69th overall selection. He was coming off an impressive season in the USHL where he helped the Youngstown Phantoms win a league championship. He was known as a workshorse with a winner's attitude and he brought those attributes to the next level this season.
As a freshman for Boston College in the NCAA, Fowler has been lights out. He has played all 23 games so far this season and put up an impressive 2.25 goals against average with a .925 save percentage along with a record of 18-4-1 which put Boston College in first place in the most recent college hockey rankings.
It even led to him getting a roster spot with USA at the World Juniors. He played a pair of games for them, and looked great, but was relegated to backup duty in the medal round for Trey Augustine.
He has caught the eye of a lot of hockey fans with this performance. Most recently, the popular hockey podcast Spittin' Chiclets was commenting on Fowler's game and made an incredible comparison for the young Canadiens prospect.
“He’s got to be one of the best goalies I’ve ever seen in college hockey.”
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) January 31, 2024
BC’s goalie Jacob Fowler is the next Dominik Hasek.https://t.co/dCv00oLVdK pic.twitter.com/cyKYYirtY2
Comparing anyone to Dominik Hasek is a wild thing to say, especially when the goaltender is still a teenager. However, it does highlight Fowler's incredible compete level and willingness to battle for every puck on the ice.
The host of Spittin' Chiclets, Ryan Whitney, actually played for rival Boston University, and these comments came shortly after Fowler backstopped Boston College to consecutive wins over Whitney's former team.
We will have to be patient to see what Fowler becomes at the NHL level, but he has clearly dominated and is turning heads at the college level right away.