Olympic Break Top 10 Habs Prospects: #2 Jacob Fowler

Since coming back from his NHL stint, Fowler has played 10 games, where he posted a .909 save percentage and a 2.40 GAA alongside his 8-2 record. However, he has also won 6 straight matchups, where his numbers improve a lot; Fowler has allowed just 1.83 goals per game and has a .926 save percentage in that span. On the season as a whole, Fowler has an 18-7 record with a .916 save percentage and a 2.21 GAA.

Fowler has been one of the brightest spots on a Laval Rocket team that has been taking the AHL by storm since the end of January. While he may be arguably the best goaltender in the Canadiens organization already, leaving him in Laval will only be better for his development in the long term. This will allow him to become the potential star goaltender that he is projected to be. Although the truth is his one-month stint with the Canadiens is likely what has allowed him to develop his game to the next level. With that being said, maybe splitting time between the NHL and the AHL may be a good plan for his development even next season as he slowly transitions into becoming the future starting netminder of the Habs.

During his NHL stint, Fowler started 10 games for the Canadiens, where he posted around a league average save percentage of .902 alongside a 2.62 GAA with a 4-4-2 record. He also recorded the only shutout by a Habs netminder during the 2025-26 season, when he made 31 saves in a 4-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

While his numbers in the NHL don’t look incredible, part of the reason for that could be related to the fact that every goaltender who had been coached by Eric Raymond went through a struggle after working with him for some time. The same thing occurred to Fowler, which was part of the reason the Habs let Raymond go, as he seemed to affect everyone’s game in a negative way this season.

Thankfully, that will no longer be an issue, as Fowler can work with both Marciano and Ilia Ejov, who have both been working with him since the Olympic break. It will be interesting to see how Fowler works with Ejov once Marciano has to return to the Habs after the Olympics. Luckily, the fact that they are working together with Fowler and Kaapo Kahkonen allows them to come to an understanding on how to coach the netminders.

This will likely only help Fowler’s development, as either way, the coaching style when working with him should be the same. The truth is a goaltender takes time to develop, and making sure there is a proper coaching plan for him to follow, whether he’s in the AHL or NHL, is important for him to reach his potential faster.

Fowler’s biggest flaw is likely his stick-handling ability, as he often hesitates when he goes to get the puck behind his net. This is something he will need to work on, but it’s also not a big issue considering he doesn’t need to go get the puck behind the net. The only thing is it will likely slow down transition offence off dump-ins, but sometimes it may be better for him to just stay in position in his net. Aside from that, Fowler is a very calm, poised goaltender who has an amazing position, which will allow him to improve at just 21 years old.

The main reason he’s listed as the 2nd best prospect ahead of Alexander Zharovsky is that Fowler is showing glimpses of stardom in North America as opposed to Zharovsky being overseas in Russia. Not to mention, he may make it to the NHL faster as a result of his really quick development into a pro goaltender. Meanwhile, there is still one prospect that is better than Fowler in the Habs pipeline. Check back tomorrow to find out who that is.

Do you agree with Fowler’s placement in the Canadiens pipeline?

Read about the #3 Habs prospect, Alexander Zharovsky, by clicking here.