Canadiens Prospect Jacob Fowler Wins Mike Richter Award

Top Montreal Canadiens goaltending prospect Jacob Fowler’s time with the Boston College Eagles has come to an end, however, there was one last chapter left to write before he closed the book on the NCAA.

Fowler won the prestigious Mike Richter Award on Friday, given annually to the best goaltender in college hockey.

Jacob Fowler (MTL) of Boston College has won the Mike Richter Award as the top goalie in men’s college hockey.

— Chris Peters (@chrismpeters) April 11, 2025

Jacob Fowler’s Excellence

Fowler recently signed his entry-level contract with the Canadiens, though it’s only set to kick in next season. He will close out the season playing with the Laval Rocket, where he can dip his toes in the icy waters of professional hockey.

ON TOPIC: Impact Of Jacob Fowler Contract On The Montreal Canadiens

Cayden Primeau is still considered the team’s starter, and he will run the show once the playoffs start, but there’s still value to having Fowler in the mix. The Laval Rocket are the top team in the AHL, and they have their sights firmly set on a Calder Trophy win. As an aside, Primeau also captured the Mike Richter Award in 2018-19, owing to a fantastic year with the Northeastern University Huskies.

Fowler, 20, enjoyed a fantastic run in the NCAA with the Eagles. The team failed to capture a National Championship, but it was clear that Fowler did his part. In 35 games for Boston College this season, Fowler established a dominant 25-7-2 record, a great 1.63 goals against average, and a sparkling .940 save percentage.

His positioning, as well as his tracking, allows him to provide a stoic presence for his defenders, as evidenced by his penchant for relying on strong anticipation, rather than last minute reactions.

He simply does not waste much energy when he’s playing, reminiscent of a former Montreal Canadiens starter who is now spending most of his time joyfully hunting and fishing in British Columbia.

Of course, we’re not really going to compare Fowler to any of the all-time Habs greats, but his playing style does lend itself well to the professional hockey landscape.

Looking Forward

Things are moving quickly for the Canadiens, and fans are currently being treated to one of the greatest influxes of young talent in recent team history.

Beyond graduating the top NCAA goaltender, fans have seen their favourite team graduate the top defenceman prospect (Lane Hutson), and the top forward prospect (Ivan Demidov) within a year.

When you consider the Canadiens are among the youngest teams in the league, it’s easy to understand why fans have exploded in a cacophony of excitement and hope.

After roughly 10 years of middling Habs efforts, Kent Hughes and Co. have managed to turn around the franchise in a little over three seasons, and they did so while maintain an open and honest line of communication with the fans.

It turns out Canadiens fans could absolutely handle a rebuild, contrary to the popular media belief, but to instill the fanbase with confidence, the team had to do its  its part by finding some of the best prospects in the entire hockey landscape, such as goaltender Jacob Fowler