Newly Drafted Goaltender Jacob Fowler has Montreal Roots

Why did the Montreal Canadiens select goaltender Jacob Fowler in the third round of the NHL Draft, with the 69th pick overall?

After surprising several observers and fans by choosing David Reinbacher fifth overall, the Canadiens began the second day of the draft with eight selections. 

Montreal selected goaltender Jacob Fowler with the 69th pick overall in the third round. The 6-foot-2 goalie was excited to join the organization as his family has roots in Montreal. 

"There's a lot of emotions right now. I have a lot of family in Montreal and the Quebec area. It's super emotional for me to see myself on that pick there and share that with my family. It's pretty special," he said minutes after his selection. The family roots in the province started when his grandfather married a woman from Montreal. 

He added that his father frequently traveled to Quebec and his aunt attended McGill University.

Fowler's pick was off-the-board as he was ranked 103rd in The Hockey News (THN) final ranking. The Canadiens may have felt the pressure to select a goaltender as five others were already selected. 

"I went into it with an open mind. Once you see different goalies going off the board, you think any pick could be you as different teams have different needs," answered Fowler when asked if he was surprised. 

The Florida native spoke to the team over the phone this week and felt he had a good interview with them at the Draft combine. 

"I think I come off as a confident guy, which I am. I don't consider myself cocky by any means but I know my game, I know myself as a person and I think what I bring to the table is something that was an interest to them."

With his family roots in the city, the goalie recognizes the pressure that may come with being between the pipes in Montreal. 

"I think as a competitor, I don't want it to be easy. I want the bright lights. I want the big stage. I think pressure is a privilege. The more pressure it is, it means that you gotta go out and perform your best."

Fowler compared his style to those of Cam Talbot, Jake Oettinger and Craig Anderson. "They're not anything stylistically special. They just stop the puck."

"I play a pretty simple game. I'm not a guy that over moves or is laying on his back, flopping around. I I like to be on my feet and I think my game is nothing sexy. I just stop the puck," he described his style. 

Fowler's developmental focus is to get faster. "I think every level of the game just gets that much quicker. The NHL is so fast now that if you're even a little bit late, not set for half a second, guys can shoot the puck so fast and in the perfect spot that if you're not ready for it, it's gonna go in if you're not not fit enough and quick enough to get there."

In 2022-'23, Fowler played 40 games for the Youngstown Phantoms in the USHL, where he recorded 27-9-4 record, 2.28 goals against average, and .921 save percentage. His performance earned him to be named the USHL Goaltender of the Year. 

Fowler is committed to Boston College in the NCAA next season and he's ready to take his time and develop. 

"[Boston College] is a special school and we're gonna have a special group of guys there. So I think for me it's getting more mature. I'm only 18 years old. There's not too many 18 year old goalies in the NHL, especially with the Montreal Canadiens. So  overcook myself a little bit in college and get ready to have a nice NHL career."

Fowler will not follow the educational path of his parents as lawyers and will study in communications. Education is important for him and his family and will be patient to develop his play at the same time. 

"I don't think there's ever a perfect plan. Every prospect's different so I could have the two best years of my hockey career and still mentally and physically may not be ready for the NHL. I think it's up to myself and to the organization because you don't want to go away to come in and get thrown into the fire and fail and have this whole process go to waste. I think if you're undercooked, it's never gonna be a good result for either the team or myself and my career."