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After last night's game against the Lightning, the Canadiens decided to recall Jacob Fowler.
The news came as a surprise because, before the start of the season, we didn't expect him to be recalled at the beginning of December. I'm willing to bet (a lot) that not many people had that on their respective bingo cards.
But that's where we are right now. And there are questions to be asked… because the kid is still young and doesn't have much pro experience.
Vincent Demuy is right, after all: good NHL goalies today spend time in the AHL to develop. This was the case for Dustin Wolf and Jesper Wallstedt… But it also happened with Yaroslav Askarov, who was seen as the world's best prospect in net for a while.
And we could name others like Connor Hellebuyck (88 games in the AHL), Thatcher Demko (107 games in the AHL), Linus Ullmark (118 games in the AHL)…
Far be it from me to spit in the soup about Jacob Fowler, and every journey is unique, but very few NHL goalkeepers have managed to establish themselves with so little mileage behind the tie.
145 AHL games for Dustin Wolf, 110 AHL games for Jesper Wallstedt.
– Vincent Demuy (@VDemuy) December 10, 2025
But at the extreme, there are guys who don't necessarily need much time in the AHL to establish themselves as good NHL goalies.
Carey Price, Roberto Luongo, Marc-André Fleury, Martin Brodeur, Jake Oettinger… These players make the list.
And they share something in common: they're calm in front of the net and can handle the pressure. As for Jacob Fowler, we're always talking about him as a guy who (rightly) thrives under pressure…
ICYMI – More examples.
Price – Became an NHL regular at 20y 2m after 23 AHL games.
Luongo – Played his first NHL game at 20. Played 29 AHL games.
Fleury – Played 13 NHL games before the age of 19 with zero pro experience.
The only goalies who get “ruined” by being called up … https://t.co/qm4dfeSNZf
– Grant McCagg (@grantmccagg) December 10, 2025
Whether Fowler is ready or not, the Canadiens are going to have to rely on him soon.
Because let's face it: Fowler wasn't called up to warm the bench. He's expected to play tomorrow night in Pittsburgh… and if that happens, we're all going to want to see what he's got.
After all, we've been talking about him as the Habs' next #1 for a long time now. Have we reached that stage in the young goalie's progression?
We're about to find out…
Just landed in Pittsburgh, where I fully expect to see Jacob Fowler make his NHL debut tomorrow vs. the Penguins.
– Eric Engels (@EricEngels) December 10, 2025
Overtime
– Wow…
“What happened to Montembeault in one year? How do you explain that?” – @GeorgesLaraque
@stephgonzz pic.twitter.com/WUZk3GXDsX
– BPM Sports (@BPMSportsRadio) December 10, 2025
– Attention all interested parties.
Only a few days left to take advantage of the Crazy Friday offer!
Get your tickets for the December and January games at 40% off before the promotion ends this Friday, December 12!
Reserve your tickets now
https://t.co/sypwOY2sSJ pic.twitter.com/eXxx81Y4Xa
– Trois-Rivières Lions (@Lions3r) December 10, 2025
– Nice contest.
Thanks to the Mini-capitaines contest presented by IGA, give your child aged 5 to 12 the chance to accompany the players on the ice, receive a jersey and 4 tickets!
Contest → https://t.co/G2pUPyj0GA#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/QDgNfms0qX
– Montreal Canadiens (@CanadiensMTL) December 10, 2025
– Go Rocket!
Laval vs Toronto coming soon
Rocket vs Marlies coming up@PizzaPizzaLtd pic.twitter.com/BKwHAwT4RY– Laval Rocket (@RocketLaval) December 10, 2025
