Jacob Fowler Really Heating Up In The AHL

Early on in the season, he had a few up-and-down performances, but now he truly seems to be locked in and ready to take the AHL by storm, the way he did at every level before turning pro at the end of his college season with Boston College last year. Fowler continues to prove himself as a winner wherever he plays, and he is now finally showing it at the pro level.

In his last 6 games with the Rocket, Fowler has a .951 save percentage with 2 shutouts and 1.33 GAA, along with a 5-1 record. He has seemingly figured out the AHL’s shooters and should continue to stay among the top goaltenders in the league. Honestly, playing alongside an experienced veteran like Kaapo Kahkonen has been a great help to Fowler as well, as he has someone who shoulders some of the load, making it easier for him in his first full season at the pro level.

Although he may still have a rough patch again at some point this season, he is currently looking like he’s on a good path of development. Fowler looks very confident and poised in his net right now, and it has allowed him to help the Rocket steal games on a few occasions, including a 5-2 victory against the Rochester Americans, where he made a season-high 36 saves on 38 shots. The Rocket played an opportunistic game by getting on the board 4 times on 33 shots, but if it wasn’t for Fowler, that game would have gone differently.

One of the things that makes Fowler able to be such a good goaltender is that he is very aggressive in his crease and can push guys or pucks away from danger pretty flawlessly. This is something that Simon “The Snake” Boisvert noticed about his game when he saw him play up close during the Laval Rocket home opener back in October, where the Rocket beat the Abbotsford Canucks 3-0 for his first shutout of the season. Boisvert mentioned that one of the best qualities that Fowler has is that he is a true fighter in his crease, meaning he rarely allows anyone to get in his circle and knows how to make sure he can see the majority of pucks heading his way. Snake also said that this quality is something that makes him feel comfortable in saying he will one day play in the NHL. He doesn’t love making projections with young goalies, but he did feel confident with his statement about Fowler.

Now, while Fowler has been dominating at the AHL recently, he is still a long way before he can be deemed NHL-ready, as bringing him up too early can destroy his confidence and make him stop progressing, like the way the old regime did to Cayden Primeau. With that being said, no matter the situation in Montreal with the goalies, he should stay in Laval and continue to get better the rest of the season. Rushing a goalie often harms him; allowing him at least a full year without any callups is the best way to be sure that he isn’t brought up too soon. If anything, the Habs can try to give him a little stint next year at the NHL level, but Fowler should play 2 full AHL seasons before he’s officially ready to be an everyday NHL goalie and take over some of the duties alongside Jakub Dobes or Samuel Montembeault.

Nonetheless, Fowler is on the right track and should continue to be a force within the Canadiens system for years to come.

How long do you think it will be before Fowler becomes an NHL goaltender?