The Athletic has released its ranking of NHL teams' prospect pipelines, and while the Montreal Canadiens fared very well, Corey Pronman seems to have been a bit hard on Jacob Fowler.
The Athletic has published its NHL pipeline rankings, and journalist Corey Pronman ranks the Montreal Canadiens’ pipeline third, behind the league-leading San Jose Sharks and the Anaheim Ducks. For these rankings, Pronman focused on players 22 or younger as of September 15, 2026.
In his analysis of the Canadiens’ pipeline, he takes a closer look at 19 of the Canadiens’ prospects, including four netminders. The article includes a few surprising takes, but none more than his assessment of Jacob Fowler. Pronman wraps up his write-up on the Florida native with this statement: He projects as a quality backup goalie.
Granted, right now, the 21-year-old is not first on the Canadiens’ depth chart in goal, even though he has long been seen as the Habs’ goaltender of the future. While that may still be true, Jakub Dobes’ playoff performance has reminded everyone that there is a present before that future and that he’s very much in it.
He had such a solid rookie season that the team signed him to a three-year contract extension, which is a testament to the trust the organization has in him. The deal carries a $5,357,575 cap hit and a modified no-trade clause for the last two seasons, in which he can give a list of seven teams he cannot be traded to. Clearly, he has impressed with his performance, but Kent Hughes didn’t sign him to a long-term contract, and that’s in part because the Canadiens also have Fowler.
The 6-foot-1 and 223-pound goaltender was drafted in the third round by the Canadiens with the 69th overall pick at the 2023 draft. Since Montreal selected him, Fowler has impressed at every level. In his first year in the NCAA, he posted a 2.14 goals-against average, a .926 save percentage, and a 32-6-1 record, including seven shutouts. In his second year at Boston College, he went 25-7-2 with a 1.63 GAA, a .940 SV, and seven shutouts. Last season, with the Laval Rocket, he went 19-7-1 with a 2.23 GAA, a .916 SV, and three shutouts. Because of Samuel Montembeault’s struggle, he was given an extended look at the NHL level and went 9-6-2, with a 2.43 GAA, a .908 SV and one shutout.
While Pronman has a point when he says that Fowler is average-sized at best and that he doesn’t have true premier athleticism for the NHL, he may not need it. What Fowler lacks in size and athleticism, he makes up for with strong positioning and nerves of steel. He was more of a " thrown to the lions this past season when the Canadiens found themselves with two goalies who were struggling, and he rose to the challenge beautifully. Despite less-than-ideal circumstances, Fowler looked in full control and not at all out of his depth between the pipes of an NHL net.
Goaltending is a very volatile position, and it’s certainly not easy to predict how a prospect will turn out, but from what Fowler has shown so far, he looks like a future starting goaltender to me. In fact, right now, the Canadiens are in a position of strength in net with two very good young goaltenders in Fowler and Dobes, and I dare say that if Kent Hughes were to dangle Fowler as part of a package to acquire that elusive top-six forward, he could drum up a lot of business. Time will tell how fair Pronman’s assessment was, but right now, I struggle to see how he could turn into anything other than a number one goaltender.
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