Canadiens prospect Jacob Fowler leads AHL Laval to series win
If Montreal Canadiens fans weren’t feeling pretty good about the direction of their team after their first playoff appearance since 2021, the state of their farm team should give them hope.
If Montreal Canadiens fans weren’t feeling pretty good about the direction of their team after their first playoff appearance since 2021, the state of their farm team should give them hope.
The Laval Rocket won their second-round series against the Cleveland Monsters on Tuesday night 3-1, but perhaps more impressive was how they did it.
Rocket goaltender Jacob Fowler won all three of the games he started and allowed just three goals on 64 shots, posting a .953 save percentage — fourth-highest amongst goaltenders in the Calder Cup Playoffs and highest amongst any AHL rookie.
The 20-year-old made three regular-season AHL starts for the Rocket after making the jump to professional hockey from the NCAA, posting a .914 save percentage and a 2.33 goals-against average.
Fowler had a dominant season with Boston College, and his .940 save percentage, 1.63 goals-against average and seven shutouts earned him the Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in NCAA Division I hockey. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canadiens in April after his Eagles were eliminated from the NCAA tournament.
Currently, Fowler sits fifth on the Canadiens’ depth chart, behind backup Cayden Primeau, third-stringer Jakob Dobes and Connor Hughes.
If the Melbourne, Fla. native continues to dominate in his first taste of professional hockey, however, he could get to see some NHL ice sooner than anticipated.
The Rocket will now take on the Rochester Americans and fellow Mike Richter Award winner Devon Levi in the North Division Finals for the chance to play in the Conference Finals.
