Rocket Goaltender Dobes Wants to Prove Himself

Laval Rocket goaltender Jakub Dobes is expected to make his second start of the season Friday night. He spoke with the media following morning skate.

On March 31, 2023, Jakub Dobes signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens, after finishing his NCAA season with Ohio State University. In 40 games played with Ohio last season, he had 21-16-3 record, 2.31 goals against average and .918 save percentage. 

The Canadiens' fifth round selection at the 2020 draft then joined the Laval Rocket for the balance of their season, but did not see any game action. According to team sources, the time was used to get comfortable with the AHL environment and learn to become a professional.

Dobes obtained his first pro start last Friday, but, unfortunately, it did not go as he expected. The goalie was pulled after 36:22 of action, after allowing five goals on 15 shots against the Abbotsford Canucks.

"It was unfortunate. It's whatever. It's just another game. I didn't really take it any differently than the games before. It will happen a lot of times in my career that the expectations aren't there. You just need to bounce back and I happen to have another opportunity [Friday] and hopefully we get the win," Dobes reflected, following the game-day skate at Place Bell.

The young goaltender pinpointed lessons to learn from following his first outing, saying, "Mentally be more into the game. It was hard to get into the game. We had a lot of things before, the national anthems, you're pumped up for the game but it was hard to get into it. I feel like [Friday] will be a lot smoother to stay engaged."

Head coach Jean-Francois Houle noted that the players in front of the 22-year old did not play well that night, but he expects a better performance of the goaltender. Houle turned to Strauss Mann for the next two contests, and Dobes admitted that it was a long week for him waiting to get another opportunity.

"It was definitely a hard week of swallowing a tough pill. I'm excited to show what I can do. It was a long time," he reflected. "Usually in the past, if I had a bad game, I was in the net the next game so I can prove myself right away. It was a great week of practice, but I still have it on my mind that I want to prove myself and have a better game and get a win."

Dobes has formed a friendship with defenseman Logan Mailloux since his arrival to Montreal during the summer and their initial meeting in Brossard. The pair are hotel roommates until they move to their apartments on Monday.

"He's a great guy. We have a lot of fun," said Dobes, enthusiastically, about Mailloux. "He's just a great teammate. He's always engaged and ready to play. He always wants to get better and he's just a great guy. We always hang out, we always play video games, we always goof around. He's one of my better friends on the team and never really had any issues. We just spend time together and it's flying by because we been roommates for 2-3 weeks. He's a great guy. I have a lot of things to say about him but always good."

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