Jacob Fowler nominated for NCAA Goalie of the Year

Jacob Fowler’s season is exceptional.

And I’m not mincing words.

The goalie, in his very first college season at the age of 19, is among the best players in the league, and that’s exciting. He was named to the first all-star team in his conference, and has been so good that Pierre McGuire thinks he could play 60 games for Laval next season.

When you look at his stats, you realize how dominant he was at Boston College.

He had an excellent team in front of him, and that’s nothing to sneeze at… But his numbers are truly impressive:

27-5-1 record
2.23 goals-against average
.923 (!) efficiency rate

Fowler’s exploits don’t go unnoticed, because today we learn that he has been selected as one of the finalists for the Mike Richter Trophy, awarded annually to the best goaltender in the NCAA.

Kaidan Mbbereko and Kyle McClellan complete the list of nominees for the honor:

BC, CC and Wisconsin goalies named Mike Richter Award finalists https://t.co/LveK7hhzoz

– The Rink Live (@TheRinkLive) March 21, 2024

It’s even more impressive because Fowler is the only Freshman among the three goalies nominated.

It makes you think that the Habs – without saying that we’re talking about a steal, because it’s far too early to do so – seem to have made a very good move at the last draft.

The interesting thing about Jacob Fowler is that he’s not afraid to face the music.

He loves big moments and he thrives on pressure… And his personality means he seems to have the mindset to play in a market like Montreal, where there’s a lot of media coverage.

Sometimes, it’s too intense for some guys, and Jonathan Drouin comes to mind… But the Habs’ new management is aware of this, and that’s why they want to get their hands on young players with big personalities.

The choice of Juraj Slafkovsky explains it well, too, because he was so confident even before being selected by the Habs.

All that to say, at the end of the day, Jacob Fowler’s work this season is to be commended.

And it would be cool to see him win the honor, because it would really be the icing on the sundae after the season he’s had.

Breaking news

– What great news!

Émile Chouinard finishes his radiotherapy treatments https://t.co/0bnvR7bGwG

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) March 21, 2024

– Cole Caufield, le goon.

Looks like Cole Caufield now has a cut under his right eye after taking a high stick from the Oilers Mattias Ekholm on Tuesday. There was no penalty call on the play.

Cole’s still in good spirits though! pic.twitter.com/s3uInwUCiF

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) March 21, 2024

– I love his comments.

“We shouldn’t put too much emphasis on what Lane will show at 20-21. What’s important is what he’ll look like at 25-26. You have to work hard to be able to say that at that point you’re one of the best in the NHL.”

Quinn Hughes, without me even naming Hutson. pic.twitter.com/FeSgrR5GoQ

– Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) March 21, 2024

– He’s one of the elite.

Mitch Marner this season:

62 games
– 25 goals
– 51 assists (16th in NHL)
– 76 points (15th in NHL)
– +20
– 1.33 average game score (19th in NHL)
– 97th percentile offensively, 74th percentile defensively, $11.3m market value via The Athletic
– 41 points at 5v5 (12th in NHL)
-… pic.twitter.com/9bxnZIMjyW

– Big Head Hockey (@BigHeadHcky) March 21, 2024