Introduction
It is no surprise that Jacob Fowler was drafted fairly early in the 2023 NHL Draft. He is a player that really left his mark over the past season, backstopping the Youngstown Phantoms to their first USHL championship in team history.
While doing so, he posted impressive numbers throughout the regular season with a 2.28 goals-against average (GAA) and a .921 save percentage (Sv%) in 40 games played. But he really shone during the playoffs. In nine games, the Florida native put up a 1.36 GAA and a .952 Sv%, including a shutout in the championship-clinching game. He was otherworldly during those playoffs.
With his performances this year, Fowler went on to earn the Dave Peterson Goaltender of the Year Award, carving his name in the history books as the best USHL goalie for 2022-23.
Fowler is committed to playing hockey at Boston College, which means he has up to four years to develop his game at one of the top colleges in the United States, a school with a good goaltending history. The next few years should be interesting to see how Fowler’s game develops at the NCAA level.
Voting
Fowler is parlaying his impressive performances in the USHL playoffs into a spot in the Top 25 Under 25 just over a month after being drafted. I personally had him one rank higher than Jakub Dobeš. This could be affected by the ‘shiny new toy’ effect; both goaltenders look pretty solid in my eyes.
History of #23
| Year | #23 |
|---|---|
| 2022 | Frederik Dichow |
| 2021 | Brett Stapley |
| 2020 | Otto Leskinen |
| 2019 | Rhett Pitlick |
| 2018 | Michael McCarron |
| 2017 | Lukas Vejdemo |
| 2016 | Zachary Fucale |
| 2015 | Gabriel Dumont |
| 2014 | Darren Dietz |
| 2013 | Dalton Thrower |
| 2012 | Greg Pateryn |
| 2011 | Alain Berger |
| 2010 | Andreas Engqvist |
Strengths
Fowler isn’t the most flashy goaltender out there but he has a strong foundation. He is more of a jack-of-all-trades type of goalie. He is simply a solid all-around goaltender who many put in the same category as some of the 2023 NHL Draft’s top goalies like Trey Augustine, Michael Hrabal, and Adam Gajan.
He is not as athletic as those goalies, but is more fundamentally sound. He is still fairly quick on his lateral movements, and his rebound control is a strength as he rarely gives up second chances to opposing shooters. He’s a classic butterfly goaltender who rarely gets beat down low, preferring to use his size and technique to stop his opponents. He does an excellent job of widening his stance in the crouch when facing a threat in high danger. He’s quick with his pads and can slam the door shut by shifting over with his pads.
Fowler would be the opposite stylistically to Frederik Dichow (who, incidentally occupied this spot a year ago), who was more of an athletic goalie.
Weaknesses
Even with his impressive run in the USHL playoffs, Fowler isn’t without warts. A few scouts have mentioned conditioning issues as something he will need to keep improving to adapt himself to higher levels of play. His technique is good but building on his strength and athleticism will help him react faster and stay in the play longer.
It could simply be that he is 18 years old and not as physically mature as some others. A good balance between training, games, and classes at Boston College should help him remedy that issue.
Projection
Again, I will repeat myself here: projection is always difficult with goaltenders. But the Canadiens have the duration of his college career to see how his development is going. After that, he’ll embark on his professional career. This gives the Habs roughly four-to-six years to see what they have in him.
While Fowler was excellent at the USHL level, he could go to Boston College and struggle against bigger and more talented players. Or he could lead them to a championship in his first year and make the team that selected him look like geniuses.
As of right now, he might be a bit raw as a prospect and he may take a lot of time to become NHL-ready, but given his tools and development so far, I believe he can continue to take those steps and become a starter down the line.
Ken Brumberger, Eyes on the Prize and In Goal Alum, joins the podcast to talk about Jakub Dobeš and Jacob Fowler.
Marc-Antoine Lévis
