Here at The Hockey News, we have ranked the top 18 freshmen coming into the 2023-24 NCAA season. There are ten forwards, five defensemen, and three goalies. This list will be the three best freshmen goaltenders.
1. Jacob Fowler, Boston College, MTL
Jacob Fowler plays on a team with three freshmen goaltenders but he seems to be the right guy to be their No. 1 starter. Fowler was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens with the 69th overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Fowler went 8-1-0 in the playoffs with the Youngstown Phantoms and helped them win the Clark Cup as the best team in the USHL. During those nine games, Fowler had a 1.36 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage including a shutout in the championship-clinching game.
During the regular season, Fowler went 27-9-3 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. The 6-foot-2 goaltender plays smart and after his impressive USHL season, he was named the Dave Peterson Goaltender of the Year Award by USA Hockey. Which is awarded to the top American goaltender who played junior hockey.
2. Trey Augustine, Michigan State, DET
Michigan State's Trey Augustine, enters the season as one of the top goalies in the NCAA.Trey Augustine had a great year last year where he went 29-1-2 with the USNTDP with a 2.13 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage in 33 games. The 6-foot-1 goaltender is very technical and moves very well.
He is calm, cool, and collected with good range from post-to-post. There is a reason why the Detroit Red Wings drafted Augustine in the second round with pick No. 41.
Augustine is always in the right position and is rarely out of the right spot. He cuts the shooter's angle down a lot and knows when to come out of his net. He also plays the puck well. He will be Michigan State's No. 1 goalie likely all year and you could've swapped Fowler with Augustine and I wouldn't throw a fit. Both are very solid goalies.
3. Michael Hrabal, University of Massachusetts, ARZ
Michael Hrabal definitely shot up the draft rankings a bit after his impressive 2023 World Juniors for team Czechia. The 6-foot-6 goaltender went 1-4-1 for Czechia in the WJC-U18's with a 3.11 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage.
Most people probably remember seeing Hrabal stop 44 shots in a 4-1 loss against the star-studded USA U18 team during the World Junior Championship. This is where Hrabal gained most of his hype.
On a tough Omaha Lancers team in the USHL, Hrabal went 9-13-7 with a 2.86 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 31 games. Hrabl currently plays on a good Umass team with Cole Brady. The senior goaltender played 12 games for Umass last year and will likely get some games this year.
But Hrabal should still play the majority of the games, you could also swap anyone on this list of three goalies and it wouldn't make that big of a difference. All three goalies are very good at what they do and deserve to be talked about and watched throughout the season.