The Montreal Canadiens have every reason to feel excited about what they have seen from their talented 21-year-old rookie goalie, Jacob Fowler.
On October 7, 2026, when Canadiens backup goalie Sam Montembeault got injured during practice, it opened the door for Fowler, who has taken full advantage of the early-season opportunity and, heading into November, is a strong Calder Trophy candidate.
Goalie Jacob Fowler Putting Himself In Calder Conversation
Last season, Fowler had a small taste of NHL experience where he showed why the Canadiens think so highly of his potential, as he went 9-6-2 with a 2.48 GAA and 0.908 save percentage in 17 games.
After starting this year with the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate, Laval Rockets, where he went 1-1 with a 1.53 GAA and 0.945 save percentage in two games, Fowler got that much-anticipated call-up, followed by an unbelievable run in the Montreal nets.
Following his Thursday, October 8th season debut at Bell Centre, which saw the Nashville Predators defeat Montreal by a 5-2 score, Fowler found his groove, which, as of October 29th, saw him win six games in a row.
Showing that ability to rebound, Fowler responded two nights after the Nashville loss with a 30-save performance at the Bell Centre for a Saturday night 1-0 win against the Detroit Red Wings. Riding the momentum of that shutout win, Fowler went on to defeat the Buffalo Sabres in back-to-back games, starting with a 4-3 shootout road win followed four days later on October 17th at Bell Centre with a 4-3 OT win.
Continuing to ride that momentum, Fowler didn’t slow down as he recorded three straight road wins against the Chicago Blackhawks by a 4-1 score, followed by a 2-1 win against the Winnipeg Jets and on October 27th, a record-breaking 2-0 shutout win against the St. Louis Blues.
“He’s playing good hockey, that’s for sure,” Montreal coach Martin St. Louis said about Fowler. “It always helps the team when your goalie plays like that.”
Fowler Makes Canadiens Franchise History
Without question, Fowler enjoyed his finest hour of the season on October 27th at Enterprise Center, when he put his name in the Canadiens record books with 46 saves, which is the most by a rookie Canadiens goalie in a shutout win.
In that 2-0 win, Fowler broke the previous record of 41 saves, set by goalies Cayden Primeau (March 12, 2024) and the late Hockey Hall of Famer Tony Esposito (December 21, 1968).
While it’s still obviously extremely early, a major reason why Fowler should currently be leading the Calder Trophy race for rookie of the year is that he has a 6-1 record with a 1.54 GAA and a .942 save percentage, which are obviously pretty solid statistics.
For those fans who might be curious, the NHL record for consecutive wins by a rookie goalie was set by Boston Bruins Ross Brooks in an impressive streak that lasted 12 games starting on December 30, 1073 through until February 28, 1974.
Fowler also put his name in the franchise record books by placing only behind Jacques Plante (52 saves in a 1955-56 game) and Montembeault (48 saves in a 2024 game vs. the Toronto Maple Leafs) for most saves in Canadiens franchise history in a shutout win.
The Last Word
A major reason why Fowler has gotten a long look in the Canadiens crease is due to the struggles of the team’s number one goalie, Jakub Dobes.
Last season, Dobes captured the hearts of fans by going 29-10-4 with a 2.78 GAA and 0.901 save percentage in the regular season before playing a pivotal role in leading Montreal to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost against the eventual Stanley Cup champions, the Hurricanes.
Following this playoff run, the Canadiens rewarded him financially when, on July 2nd, he signed a three-year $16 million extension.
So far this season, the 25-year-old Dobes has gone 2-2-2 with a 4.05 GAA and a 0.853 save percentage.
Dobes might have hit rock bottom when, on October 20th at Bell Centre, he took what turned out to be a costly overtime penalty during an eventual 4-3 loss against the San Jose Sharks.
Heading forward, the Canadiens have some tough decisions to make in net. Decisions such as: do they trade Montembeault when he comes back, and do they stick with the hot hand in Fowler for goal, or do they switch back to Dobes in hopes the rest has helped him find his game? Only time will tell what they do.
Main Image: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
