Jakub Dobes does have some tools.
Here we are talking about another prospect goaltender. This one is a bit older but I didn’t have a lot of notes on him over the years so I’ve had to play catch up. His name is Jakub Dobes, a 23-year-old Czech goalie who has been playing in Laval since last season.
This 6’4” backstop started with the Omaha Lancers in the USHL and played there for two seasons. He did get a few games of playoff experience and in 2021, his second season, he made the Second All-Star team. Not bad,
He then attended Ohio State University for two years. Dobes played 75 games there with good results. He was the B1G Rookie of the Year and Best Goaltender in 2021-22 when he posted a .934 save percentage.
Dobes averages 21 saves per game. He’s not being overworked. I like his athleticism. He’s got decent post-to-post speed. He’s fast up and down and very aggressive towards shooters.
What I don’t love is the way he uses his blocker. I feel he just waves at the puck with it. Dobes five hole is pretty big at times but that can be corrected to some degree.
Dobes knows when to freeze the puck and when to direct rebounds to his defenseman. I think he can still improve on this rebound control. Dobes does well seeing the puck in traffic.
I think the strength of Dobes is his glove position. Sometimes he doesn’t even see the puck and he can use the glove to deaden the shot.
Dobes does read the shooters very well. He has talent and the more games he plays the better he will get. Even when he’s down, he covers a lot of the net. As far as jamming in near the post, that usually doesn’t fly. He’s very good at hugging that post.
When he’s 25, I can see him getting some NHL action. I don’t believe he’s a #1 type but after that, I think it depends on the next couple of seasons.