“Three years is a long time.” Jacob Fowler couldn’t have said it better himself. Because if there’s one person for whom life can change in three years, it’s him.
Fowler is the confident goalie the Canadiens drafted at 69th overall.e rank last year. He continues his development at Boston College, but here he is in Greater Montreal this week for the Canadiens development camp.
Now, if there’s one position where things can change quickly in the Habs organization, it’s goaltending. Samuel Montembeault currently has a three-year deal that expires in 2027. Cayden Primeau’s contract expires in a year. In Laval, Jakub Dobeš will try to continue his momentum after excelling in net for the Rocket starting in December.
And then there’s Fowler, who turned heads in his first year in the NCAA. Despite turning 18 in the fall of 2023, he quickly established himself as the Eagles’ No. 1 goalie. How many years can a goalie be a starter in college before making the jump to the pros? That’s the question that will fuel discussion when it comes to the fiery Floridian this season.
“Every player is different. Whether I’m ready in two, three or four years, I’m not in a hurry,” he said Tuesday. “I’d rather be too ready than not ready enough. There are many other factors than the games we play that come into the equation.”
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jacob Fowler at Canadiens development camp in summer 2023
If the season goes smoothly and he remains the No. 1 goalie, there will be reason to wonder if he is not ready for the next step. In the Canadiens’ organization, Primeau and Dobeš also went through the NCAA. Both were starters when they arrived in college, and both decided that after two years in that role, they were ready to make the jump to the pros. With the Buffalo Sabres, Devon Levi made the same decision in 2023, after his second campaign at Northeastern.
Theoretically, though, he could play three more years in college if he wanted. “Three years is a long time,” Fowler said. “My last three years were crazy. In three years, it could be completely different. I’m going to go back to Boston for the rest of the summer and be ready to win a championship next season.”
Her goals
So he made one of his goals for 2024-25 clear: a championship. Last season, he came within one win of achieving it. Boston College lost 2-0 in the national championship final to Denver University. “It hurts to come that close, but it gives you more motivation for next season,” he said.
This championship would add to a well-stocked list of achievements that also includes a USHL title (2023 in Youngstown) and a gold medal at the World Junior Championship (2024 with the United States).
On an individual level, Fowler also wants to stop allowing what he describes as bad goals.
“I’ve always prided myself on being a competitor. Whether I give up one or two bad goals, I still end up making that last save that wins us. But at the end of the season, every game, I felt like I was giving up a bad goal a game. You can get away with that in college, but it catches up with you in the pros because guys can shoot. If I can avoid those goals that go under me or through my body, it won’t leave many places to score.”
Fowler says he’s in good hands, in “a program that has produced so many NHL goalies.” Thatcher Demko (Vancouver Canucks), Joseph Woll (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Spencer Knight (Florida Panthers) are all Eagles graduates. Will he follow in their footsteps?