The 2024 World Junior Championship has a lot of solid goaltending. I will be ranking the five best. It won’t be based on their drafting position or their early games in the World Juniors. It’s where they are right now in their development. Now, let’s get to the list.
The top goalie in this tournament is Jacob Fowler (Montreal Canadiens).
So why isn’t he starting? Augustine has been “the guy” and hasn’t done anything to change that. Fowler looked great in camp; he is a bit bigger at 6’2” and has a better stick. He intimidates shooters with it. Fowler has had the better college season with Boston College – – 13-3., .925 save percentage in 17 starts. Fowler is ready to go at a moment’s notice, and if he doesn’t get in, he knows it’s now because of his ability. He has a pedigree and has been the best at every level.
With a lot of these guys, I will be splitting hairs. Trey Augustine (Chicago Blackhawks) has excelled at Michigan State University this year. He has an 11-3-2 record with a .916 save percentage with his college team. At 6’1” and around 180 pounds, he looks different to me this year. Having seen him in USA’s camp, he has gotten faster, side to side and up and down. Augustine acknowledged that to me as part of his offseason program. He does know how to play bigger in the net.
Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks) is next on my list.
He is 6’3”, his frame isn’t filled out yet, and he’s still terrific, as all have seen in the early going with Slovakia in the World Juniors. He is in his second season in North America, currently playing for the Green Bay Gamblers, where the talented netminder has posted a 14-4-1 record with a .911 save percentage. He has the best glove of the three, and he’s super-athletic and a bit of a risk-taker at times. Gajan is hard to beat 1-on-1.
Michael Hrabal is the next one on the list. Czechia is his home, and he’s well into his second year of North American hockey. He’s the tallest at 6’6”, and he still has to fill out his frame. He has a great glove hand because his goalie coach had him work on catching baseball with a baseball glove for off-ice training. He covers a lot of the net, and his season at UMass has been solid, starting 12 games with a .905 save percentage and a 7-3-1 record.
Hugo Havelid fills out this list of backstops. He may only be 5’10”, but he can play the position. As a young man, he plays for Djugardens in HockeyAllsvenskan against men. In seven games, he has a .277 goals-against average and a .890 save percentage. He covers up the puck quickly and sees well in traffic. He’s terrific in 1-on-1 situations. He can frustrate the opposition.
I think all of them have NHL ability. Only time will tell.
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