Prospect Info: [2023 - 69th] Jacob Fowler (NCAA - Boston College)

The Last Red

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Jan 2, 2022
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Maybe, but this scenario squeezes Dobes out and I am not sure it will happen that quickly or that easily. Dobes has shown to be a quality guy as well.

Fowler is more technically sound but if Dobes shows he can stop more pucks . . .
 
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Estimated_Prophet

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Mar 28, 2003
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I expect him to sign after this season and burn a year by playing a game in the show this Spring.

He is still extremely young for a goalie and I would not be surprised to see him stay another season in Boston. I think the preference for Montreal would to have a clearer picture in the Primeau vs Dobes debate in order to open up more playing time in Laval. I don't see them letting Primeau walk if he continues to struggle as he is a RFA after this season.
 
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DAChampion

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May 28, 2011
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I don't see them letting Primeau walk if he continues to struggle as he is a RFA after this season.
Can you elaborate?

I think you may have made a typo but I'm not sure. IMO if Primeau continues to play this badly, he's gone and he's gone without value. The only caveat is I'm surprising by how badly he's doing, so I wonder if another factor is at play.
 
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morhilane

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Feb 28, 2021
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Can you elaborate?

I think you may have made a typo but I'm not sure. IMO if Primeau continues to play this badly, he's gone and he's gone without value. The only caveat is I'm surprising by how badly he's doing, so I wonder if another factor is at play.
He always had a fragile mental, like half the Habs...
 

Estimated_Prophet

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Mar 28, 2003
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Can you elaborate?

I think you may have made a typo but I'm not sure. IMO if Primeau continues to play this badly, he's gone and he's gone without value. The only caveat is I'm surprising by how badly he's doing, so I wonder if another factor is at play.

Goaltenders are extremely unpredictable and develop very late. A bad season from a 25 year old goalie who has the talent to be a good NHL goalie and is only an RFA is not a player that a team should give up on. Goalies tend to be at their best after they turn 25 and he will be cheap to re-sign. Unless Hughes gets an offer for him that he likes he will be here next season.

This is why drafting goalies high is incredibly dumb as very few are established quality starters before they are UFA's and all of that development time is wasted if you let them walk where another team can sign them cheaply with a much better chance of them being NHL goaltenders at the age of 26/27 and beyond.
 

Estimated_Prophet

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Mar 28, 2003
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He always had a fragile mental, like half the Habs...

This is why goalies take so long to develop as it is the mental fortitude and resilience that they often need to develop over many years of experience. Every goalie in the league is physically capable of being a starter on a good team as they all will at one point or another demonstrate it for short stretches but it is the mental stability and resilience that they often can only gain through experience that will get them there.

People posing as goalie experts that make rigid proclamations about U20 goalies are clowns and they also seem to be the ones who give up on goalies way too fast. Goaltending is a crapshoot and that is why very few are taken in the first round anymore as the number just don't support such dumb decisions.
 

WeThreeKings

Demidov is a HAB
Sep 19, 2006
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Goalie tandems are becoming more and more common. Having 2 good goalies isn't quite a luxury anymore, its a necessity. If we can be lucky enough to have both Dobes and Fowler meet their potential we're golden.

Volokhin is a great option, too.

Upcoming draft is another great goalie draft, wouldn't mind using one of our many high picks on someone like Ravensbergen, Ivankovic, etc.
 

MarkovsKnee

Global Moderator
Nov 21, 2007
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Toronto
Damn what a game by Fowler right now.

0-0 with Maine. BC got a 5 minute PP after a nasty knee on Minnetian by a Maine player. Maine outshot them, had several odd man rushes & at least 3 breakaways while shorthanded. Fowler shut the door.

Also, kid can really handle/pass the puck. The best chance by BC on PP was when he made an up the middle pass to opposition blueline to Leonard. Lol It was a beauty.
 

Tyson

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Mar 1, 2007
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Damn what a game by Fowler right now.

0-0 with Maine. BC got a 5 minute PP after a nasty knee on Minnetian by a Maine player. Maine outshot them, had several odd man rushes & at least 3 breakaways while shorthanded. Fowler shut the door.

Also, kid can really handle/pass the puck. The best chance by BC on PP was when he made an up the middle pass to opposition blueline to Leonard. Lol It was a beauty.
👍
 

Pompeius Magnus

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May 18, 2014
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Damn what a game by Fowler right now.

0-0 with Maine. BC got a 5 minute PP after a nasty knee on Minnetian by a Maine player. Maine outshot them, had several odd man rushes & at least 3 breakaways while shorthanded. Fowler shut the door.

Also, kid can really handle/pass the puck. The best chance by BC on PP was when he made an up the middle pass to opposition blueline to Leonard. Lol It was a beauty.
He really wasn't a natural at it last season, so he must have been putting in the work on that particular aspect during the off season. It probably helps that he got in better shape as well, it allows him to move better when he wants to play the puck.

Edit: A natural at moving out of his net, to be specific. He was already good at passing the puck in the USHL.
 
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Canadienna

Registered User
Jan 27, 2015
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The biggest problem with Fowler is that he's not 5 years older. Really exciting to have a top goalie prospect in the system, but goalies take forever.

I think this organization and fanbase wants to be competitive before it could reasonably be expected Fowler would be a bonafide NHL starter.

He's 19, we're probably talking like 5 years before he's the guy, right? If all goes well of course.
 

WeThreeKings

Demidov is a HAB
Sep 19, 2006
95,604
107,150
Halifax
The biggest problem with Fowler is that he's not 5 years older. Really exciting to have a top goalie prospect in the system, but goalies take forever.

I think this organization and fanbase wants to be competitive before it could reasonably be expected Fowler would be a bonafide NHL starter.

He's 19, we're probably talking like 5 years before he's the guy, right? If all goes well of course.

How old is Dustin Wolf? Fowler probably has 2 years in the AHL. But Dobes should supplant Monty and Primeau before then, so we would be easing Fowler in as a tandem with him. That is as long as Dobes keeps developing the way he has.
 

overlords

#DefundCBC
Aug 16, 2008
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Thank goodness that one scout fought so hard for him.


1711246539646.png

Just look at the numbahs!
 

MarkovsKnee

Global Moderator
Nov 21, 2007
55,372
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Toronto
The biggest problem with Fowler is that he's not 5 years older. Really exciting to have a top goalie prospect in the system, but goalies take forever.

I think this organization and fanbase wants to be competitive before it could reasonably be expected Fowler would be a bonafide NHL starter.

He's 19, we're probably talking like 5 years before he's the guy, right? If all goes well of course.

2 starters who started their careers in NCAA: Helleybuck and Oettinger.

Helleybuck spent 2 years in NCAA & one and a half seasons in AHL.

Oettinger spent 3 years in NCAA and one year in AHL.

This is Fowler's 2nd season in NCAA. He'll be signed at the end of this season. Maybe he gets an NHL game at the end of this season, but he likely spends next year in the AHL.

College players take about 3-4 years.

We'll see what happens between Primeau, Dobes & Hughes next season. Montembeault stays with one of them as backup & Fowler in Laval.

The year after that (2026-2027), is Montembeault's final contract year. Fowler probably tandems.

I expect summer of 2027 is when Fowler takes over for good.
 
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