Jacob Fowler : Un gardien prometteur avec des racines québécoises

NASHVILLE – Already Jacob Fowler had a very charismatic face and the reports from scouts about him are laudatory, his journey has become even more intriguing upon learning that several members of his family live in the Montreal area.

“My grandfather married a French-speaking Quebecer and my father spent nearly a year there skiing often. He learned a bit of French while I continue to work on mine. I will have more pressure to do so from now on,” Fowler said with a big smile and after saying “Hello and thank you very much” from the get-go.

“I have a lot of emotions, I have several members of my family in Montreal. It’s very moving for me. My aunt went to McGill University, she works for Air Canada. My grandfather married a French-speaking Quebecer. It’s pretty cool to see the circle come full circle,” said the six-foot-one, 222-pound goalkeeper.

In his youth, Fowler visited Montreal many times and he is very familiar with the sports reality surrounding the Canadiens.

“I went to the Quebec pee-wee tournament and played several games in different tournaments in Montreal. It’s a big hockey market and pride comes with pressure,” said the prospect who had an impressive year with the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL.

Born in Florida, Fowler was sensational in 2022-2023 with the best efficiency (.921) in the USHL and also dominated the goals-against average category (2.28) despite his young age.

He was even more impressive in the playoffs, helping his team win the Clark Cup with an 8-1 record and a stunning .952 save percentage against his opponents.

Fowler is heading to Boston College, but his goalkeeper coach in Youngstown, Neil Conway, describes him as a goalkeeper with elite game sense. According to him, few young hockey players understand the game as well as he does. He also praised his performances under pressure and his talent with the puck, as he accumulated four assists.

Oh, and he pointed out that he was a wonderful, and talkative, teammate. But it only took 30 seconds by his side to see that.

So no, it wouldn’t be boring if Jacob Fowler became the first goalkeeper drafted by the Canadiens to establish himself in the NHL since Carey Price in 2005. While their styles may be polar opposites in terms of personality, Fowler does not possess the same athletic attributes as Price.

“There’s nothing sexy about my game. I have a very simple approach, I’m not the type to move too much in front of my net or end up on my back or all over the place. I like to stay on my feet. I think I play like Cam Talbot, Jake Oettinger, and Craig Anderson. They’re not the flashiest in their style, but they stop pucks,” Fowler confidently explained.Jacob Fowler

If Fowler was the sixth goalkeeper to hear his name at Bridgestone Arena, it is mainly for two reasons. First, specialists do not consider him to have as high potential as those who came before him. Secondly, the physical aspect of his candidacy needs refinement.

“I’m going to Boston College, it will be an opportunity to become more mature, I’m only 18 years old. I will develop at the collegiate level and prepare for the NHL. I want to become faster. If you’re not fit enough or fast enough, pucks will go in at that level,” acknowledged Fowler, who needs to lose a few pounds.

“There is no perfect plan, I could have the two best years of my career without being mentally and physically ready. You don’t want to be thrown into the lion’s den too quickly,” added the Floridian.

It is also presumed that the Canadiens’ management liked Fowler’s confidence.