Jacob Fowler has a real shot at the junior championship

At the last draft, we suspected that the Canadiens would probably select at least one goalie. In the end, they selected no less than three, all in the hope of finding a goalie of the future.

And of the three, the most promising is undoubtedly Jacob Fowler. The American goalkeeper just dominated the USHL last season, and in terms of technique, he looks pretty solid.

We’ll have to see if he can keep up his NCAA momentum with Boston College next year, that said.

USA Hockey ‘s summer camp kicks off this week, and Fowler is one of the guest goalies. The purpose of the camp is to preliminarily evaluate the guys in preparation for next winter’s World Junior Championship.

And when I look at the competition around him, I can’t help but think that he has a real chance of making Team USA.

For the full guest list (which also includes Lane Hutson), click here:

No vacation for Lane Hutson and Jacob Fowler🏒🔵⚪️🔴https://t.co/BBGsmH4WuL

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) July 25, 2023

When we look at the invited American goalkeepers, we find five names: Fowler, Trey Augustine, Tyler Muzelik, Hampton Slukynsky and Andrew Oke. They’re split between two teams (Fowler is with Oke while the other three are in the other group), but there are five in all.

Of course, we can expect Trey Augustine to start ahead of Fowler, who was drafted ahead of him and was with Team USA last year. Barring a surprise, I expect him to be there, but for the other two goalkeepers, the race looks pretty open.

Oke was also with the team last year, but had a difficult season in the OHL. He may not be back.

So, if Fowler starts the season strong in the NCAA and is able to show great things to the American team, he could really push hard for a position. It would probably be as an auxiliary, but it’s still worth mentioning.

As for Lane Hutson, there’s a lot less intrigue in his case: he’ll be back with the team, and this time, he’ll have an even bigger role. I expect him to take on the role that Luke Hughes had on the ice last year.

In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him take on the full role of Hughes, who was club captain last year. The two assistants (Sean Behrens and Red Savage) won’t be back, and Hutson already has CMJ experience.

Add to all this the fact that he already has a letter on his jersey in the NCAA and you really have to wonder if he couldn’t have the C on his jersey at CMJ.

I wouldn’t put all my money on the little defenseman being named captain, but if I had to bet on it, I wouldn’t totally hate my odds.

Anyway, we’ll see if Fowler can carve out a spot and if Hutson can earn himself the captaincy, but impressing in summer camp could go a long way toward helping them in their respective goals.

Now it’s up to them to seize the opportunity.

Breaking news

– Nice read.

– I think so too.

– He’s not the first to have a run-in with John Tortorella.

– It worked, clearly.

– It’s understandable.