On Tuesday, Daily Faceoff released its rankings of the 25 best affiliated goaltender prospects, and two members of the Montreal Canadiens organization made the ranking: Jacob Fowler and Jakub Dobes.
Fowler, who signed his ELC last spring, comes in second place in the rankings, three spots higher than last season when he was in fifth place. Sean Ellis praises the positionally sound play of the 6-foot-2 netminder, as well as his mental strength. For him, Samuel Montembeault is the top goaltender in Montreal, but it’s only a question of time before Fowler takes the crown.
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The journalist also expects the NCAA graduate to work alongside Kaapo Kahkonen in Laval this year as he tries to take the next step in his development. The 20-year-old had significant numbers last season with a .940 save percentage and a 1.63 goal-against-average with Boston College. While success at that level doesn’t necessarily guarantee NHL success, as seen with Cayden Primeau, for instance, it still says something about the kind of athlete Montreal has on its hands.
The second Canadiens’ asset on the list is Jakub Dobes, who comes in at number 24. It’s the Czech netminder’s first appearance in these rankings, and even though he played more NHL games than AHL last season, he was still deemed eligible since he has limited experience in the top league.
Ellis mentions that Dobes stealing the backup job away from Primeau last season was part of the reason why the Habs managed to return to the playoffs. While he’s not convinced Dobes will ever be more than a backup, he concedes he can still play an essential role for the Canadiens while Fowler develops in Laval.
I would even add that Dobes is only 24 years old, four years younger than Montembeault, who’s under contract for two seasons. Should the Becancour native command too high a pay raise, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities that Dobes could stick around when Fowler is ready to make the jump in the NHL.
While Dobes is very athletic and entertaining to watch in net, there are a few positioning issues that could be addressed and would allow him to play a sounder game, albeit one that is less spectacular.
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