Montreal Canadiens Prospect Jacob Fowler spoke to The Hockey News at the AHL All-Star Classic, and here's what he had to say.
The Hockey News’ Frank Zawrazky caught up with Montreal Canadiens prospect and Laval Rocket Goaltender Jacob Fowler at the AHL All-Star Classic and asked him about a couple of topics.
The 21-year-old is in his first full professional season and has spent most of the season in the AHL with the Rocket, but the Canadiens’ goalie woes have led to a surprise call-up to the big team, where he played his first 10 NHL games. Still, he spent enough time in the AHL to earn his first invite to the All-Star Classic with a 17-7-0 record, a 2.21 goals-against average, and a .916 save percentage. Asked about what it meant for him to be an All-Star, he replied:
Yeah, it’s special. Obviously, every time you get to be a part of something like this, it’s cool. It’s the first in my career, and I’m just proud to represent this organization. There are a lot of people who have helped me get here, and I want to have a positive reflection on the organization.
An upper-body injury kept him from taking part in on-ice activities, but he still made the trip, sporting a brand-new mask for the occasion. Asked why that new mask features a Quebec license plate on the back plate, the goaltender explained:
It was a little touch: I’ve always had a license plate on the back with Florida, which is where I’m from, and for an event like this, I thought it would be cool to do the Quebec license plate because it’s my new home now. I think it’s turned out pretty nice.
On the goalie coach changes in Laval and Montreal, the netminder said:
Obviously, I’m happy for Marco (Marciano), he deserves it, he’s great, he’s been awesome for me. Very fortunate to have the people that we do in our organization, it’s exciting times in Laval.
The netminder added that he still keeps in touch with Marciano, but he wasn’t sure if he was going to work with him during the Olympic break as initially planned, since Ilia Ejov has now been named interim goalie coach with the Rocket.
Fowler was cleared to play Laval’s first game after the All-Star break, and he backstopped the team to a 6-1 win over the Hershey Bears, saving 23 of the 24 shots he received. On Valentine’s Day, he acted as Kaapo Kahkonen’s backup in the game against the Toronto Marlies.
The Rocket is currently first in the Northern Division and fourth overall in the AHL. Fowler is having a great first professional season, and with what he showed during his call-up with the Canadiens, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in the NHL sooner rather than later. The future looks bright in the Montreal crease, not only because of Fowler, but there are two Canadiens prospects amongst the nominees for the Mike Richter award in the NCAA.
Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social and Threads @karinehains.
Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable on The Hockey News.
Subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here.