{"id":698394,"date":"2026-10-29T13:12:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-29T13:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/698394\/"},"modified":"2026-10-29T13:12:20","modified_gmt":"2026-10-29T13:12:20","slug":"canadiens-jacob-fowler-the-early-calder-trophy-favourite-the-hockey-writers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/698394\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadiens’ Jacob Fowler the Early Calder Trophy Favourite – The Hockey Writers –"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Montreal\u00a0Canadiens\u00a0might\u00a0have\u00a0found\u00a0their\u00a0goaltender\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0future,\u00a0and\u00a0he\u00a0is\u00a0already\u00a0making\u00a0a\u00a0massive\u00a0impact\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0present.\u00a0Just\u00a0a\u00a0few\u00a0weeks\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a02026-27\u00a0NHL\u00a0season,\u00a0Jacob\u00a0Fowler<\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0established\u00a0himself\u00a0as\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0league\u2019s\u00a0most\u00a0impressive\u00a0goaltenders,\u00a0putting\u00a0together\u00a0performances\u00a0that\u00a0have\u00a0helped\u00a0keep\u00a0Montreal\u00a0competitive.\u00a0While\u00a0plenty\u00a0of\u00a0talented\u00a0rookies\u00a0are\u00a0making\u00a0their\u00a0mark\u00a0around\u00a0the\u00a0league,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0is\u00a0quickly\u00a0building\u00a0a\u00a0strong\u00a0case\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0considered\u00a0the\u00a0early\u00a0favorite\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0Calder\u00a0Trophy,\u00a0awarded\u00a0annually\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0NHL\u2019s\u00a0top\u00a0rookie.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Numbers\u00a0Speak\u00a0for\u00a0Themselves<\/p>\n

It\u00a0is\u00a0difficult\u00a0to\u00a0find\u00a0a lot of\u00a0goaltenders\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0NHL\u00a0who\u00a0have\u00a0been\u00a0better\u00a0than\u00a0Jacob\u00a0Fowler\u00a0to\u00a0start\u00a0the\u00a0season.\u00a0Through\u00a0his\u00a0first\u00a0seven\u00a0appearances,\u00a0the\u00a021-year-old\u00a0has\u00a0posted\u00a0an\u00a0outstanding\u00a06-1-0\u00a0record,\u00a0a\u00a01.54\u00a0goals-against\u00a0average,\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0.942\u00a0save\u00a0percentage.\u00a0Those\u00a0are\u00a0remarkable\u00a0numbers\u00a0for\u00a0any\u00a0NHL\u00a0goaltender,\u00a0let\u00a0alone\u00a0a\u00a0rookie.<\/p>\n

To\u00a0put\u00a0those\u00a0numbers\u00a0into\u00a0perspective,\u00a0among\u00a0goaltenders\u00a0with\u00a0at\u00a0least\u00a0five\u00a0starts\u00a0this\u00a0season,\u00a0only\u00a0Linus\u00a0Ullmark\u00a0has\u00a0recorded\u00a0a\u00a0better\u00a0save\u00a0percentage<\/a>\u00a0than\u00a0Fowler.\u00a0Meanwhile,\u00a0only\u00a0Ullmark\u00a0and\u00a0Jake\u00a0Oettinger\u00a0have\u00a0posted\u00a0a\u00a0better\u00a0goals-against\u00a0average.\u00a0Essentially,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0is\u00a0already\u00a0performing\u00a0like\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0NHL\u2019s\u00a0elite\u00a0goaltenders\u00a0despite\u00a0having\u00a0very\u00a0limited\u00a0experience\u00a0at\u00a0this\u00a0level.<\/p>\n

\"MontrealWinnipeg Jets right wing Isak Rosen scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacob Fowler (James Carey Lauder-Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

What\u00a0makes\u00a0his\u00a0performances\u00a0even\u00a0more\u00a0impressive\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0situation\u00a0surrounding\u00a0him.\u00a0Montreal\u00a0has\u00a0struggled\u00a0defensively\u00a0at\u00a0times\u00a0this\u00a0season,\u00a0allowing\u00a0far\u00a0too\u00a0many\u00a0scoring\u00a0chances\u00a0and\u00a0making\u00a0life\u00a0difficult\u00a0for\u00a0its\u00a0goaltenders.\u00a0However,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0has\u00a0consistently\u00a0found\u00a0ways\u00a0to\u00a0keep\u00a0his\u00a0team\u00a0in\u00a0games,\u00a0making\u00a0crucial\u00a0saves\u00a0when\u00a0needed\u00a0and\u00a0giving\u00a0the\u00a0Canadiens\u00a0a\u00a0chance\u00a0to\u00a0win\u00a0almost\u00a0every\u00a0night.<\/p>\n

His\u00a0calmness,\u00a0positioning,\u00a0and\u00a0ability\u00a0to\u00a0handle\u00a0pressure\u00a0have\u00a0been\u00a0particularly\u00a0impressive.\u00a0Rather\u00a0than\u00a0looking\u00a0like\u00a0a\u00a0young\u00a0goaltender\u00a0trying\u00a0to\u00a0establish\u00a0himself,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0has\u00a0looked\u00a0like\u00a0a\u00a0legitimate\u00a0NHL\u00a0starter.<\/p>\n

How\u00a0Does\u00a0His\u00a0Competition\u00a0Compare?<\/p>\n

While\u00a0Fowler\u00a0has\u00a0been\u00a0outstanding,\u00a0the\u00a0Calder\u00a0Trophy\u00a0race\u00a0certainly\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0lacking\u00a0talented\u00a0candidates.\u00a0However,\u00a0when\u00a0comparing\u00a0their\u00a0early-season\u00a0performances\u00a0and\u00a0overall\u00a0impact\u00a0on\u00a0their\u00a0respective\u00a0teams,\u00a0the\u00a0Canadiens\u00a0goaltender\u00a0might\u00a0have\u00a0the\u00a0strongest\u00a0argument.<\/p>\n

Between\u00a0the\u00a0pipes,\u00a0Dylan\u00a0Garand\u00a0has\u00a0emerged\u00a0as\u00a0another\u00a0interesting\u00a0rookie\u00a0following\u00a0Igor\u00a0Shesterkin\u2019s\u00a0injury.\u00a0Garand\u00a0has\u00a0received\u00a0significant\u00a0playing\u00a0time\u00a0and\u00a0is\u00a0the\u00a0only\u00a0rookie\u00a0goaltender\u00a0with\u00a0more\u00a0starts\u00a0than\u00a0Fowler.\u00a0However,\u00a0his\u00a0numbers\u00a0haven\u2019t\u00a0come\u00a0close\u00a0to\u00a0matching\u00a0what\u00a0the\u00a0Canadiens\u00a0rookie\u00a0has\u00a0accomplished.<\/p>\n

Among\u00a0skaters,\u00a0James Hagens,\u00a0Ivar\u00a0Stenberg<\/a>,\u00a0and\u00a0Trevor\u00a0Connelly\u00a0have\u00a0all\u00a0recorded\u00a0nine\u00a0points<\/a>,\u00a0putting\u00a0them\u00a0in\u00a0a\u00a0tie\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0rookie\u00a0scoring\u00a0lead.\u00a0All\u00a0three\u00a0have\u00a0shown\u00a0promising\u00a0offensive\u00a0abilities\u00a0and\u00a0could\u00a0certainly\u00a0become\u00a0serious\u00a0Calder\u00a0contenders\u00a0as\u00a0the\u00a0season\u00a0progresses.<\/p>\n

However,\u00a0there\u00a0is\u00a0a\u00a0significant\u00a0difference\u00a0between\u00a0producing\u00a0offensively\u00a0and\u00a0completely\u00a0changing\u00a0a\u00a0team\u2019s\u00a0chances\u00a0of\u00a0winning. That\u00a0is\u00a0exactly\u00a0what\u00a0Fowler\u00a0has\u00a0done\u00a0for\u00a0Montreal. With\u00a0Fowler\u00a0in\u00a0net,\u00a0the\u00a0Canadiens\u00a0have\u00a0won\u00a0six\u00a0of\u00a0seven\u00a0games.\u00a0Without\u00a0him,\u00a0Montreal\u00a0has\u00a0struggled\u00a0considerably,\u00a0posting\u00a0a\u00a01-2-2\u00a0record\u00a0while\u00a0allowing\u00a0more\u00a0than\u00a0four\u00a0goals\u00a0per\u00a0game.<\/p>\n

Those\u00a0numbers\u00a0illustrate\u00a0just\u00a0how\u00a0important\u00a0the\u00a0young\u00a0goaltender\u00a0has\u00a0become\u00a0to\u00a0this\u00a0team.\u00a0Montreal\u00a0has\u00a0looked\u00a0considerably\u00a0more\u00a0confident\u00a0with\u00a0Fowler\u00a0between\u00a0the\u00a0pipes,\u00a0knowing\u00a0that\u00a0even\u00a0when\u00a0defensive\u00a0mistakes\u00a0happen,\u00a0their\u00a0goaltender\u00a0can\u00a0bail\u00a0them\u00a0out. No\u00a0other\u00a0rookie\u00a0has\u00a0arguably\u00a0made\u00a0a\u00a0bigger\u00a0difference\u00a0for\u00a0his\u00a0team\u00a0so\u00a0far\u00a0this\u00a0season.<\/p>\n

Can\u00a0Fowler\u00a0Keep\u00a0This\u00a0Up?<\/p>\n

Of\u00a0course,\u00a0the\u00a0biggest\u00a0question\u00a0surrounding\u00a0Fowler\u2019s\u00a0Calder\u00a0Trophy\u00a0candidacy\u00a0is\u00a0whether\u00a0he\u00a0can\u00a0maintain\u00a0this\u00a0incredible\u00a0level\u00a0of\u00a0play\u00a0throughout\u00a0the\u00a0season. Realistically,\u00a0expecting\u00a0a\u00a0rookie\u00a0goaltender\u00a0to\u00a0finish\u00a0an\u00a0entire\u00a0NHL\u00a0campaign\u00a0with\u00a0a\u00a01.54\u00a0goals-against\u00a0average\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0.942\u00a0save\u00a0percentage\u00a0would\u00a0be\u00a0unreasonable.\u00a0Those\u00a0are\u00a0numbers\u00a0that\u00a0even\u00a0the\u00a0best\u00a0goaltenders\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0world\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0maintain\u00a0over\u00a0a\u00a0full\u00a0season.<\/p>\n

There\u00a0will\u00a0inevitably\u00a0be\u00a0difficult\u00a0games,\u00a0defensive\u00a0breakdowns,\u00a0and\u00a0stretches\u00a0where\u00a0Fowler\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0look\u00a0quite\u00a0as\u00a0dominant.\u00a0That\u00a0is\u00a0simply\u00a0part\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0development\u00a0process\u00a0for\u00a0a\u00a0young\u00a0NHL\u00a0goaltender. However,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0necessarily\u00a0need\u00a0to\u00a0maintain\u00a0these\u00a0extraordinary\u00a0numbers\u00a0to\u00a0win\u00a0the\u00a0Calder\u00a0Trophy. If\u00a0he\u00a0can\u00a0establish\u00a0himself\u00a0as\u00a0Montreal\u2019s\u00a0number-one\u00a0goaltender,\u00a0continue\u00a0giving\u00a0his\u00a0team\u00a0a\u00a0chance\u00a0to\u00a0win\u00a0consistently,\u00a0and\u00a0finish\u00a0the\u00a0season\u00a0with\u00a0strong\u00a0numbers,\u00a0he\u00a0will\u00a0have\u00a0an\u00a0excellent\u00a0case.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0biggest\u00a0factor\u00a0could\u00a0ultimately\u00a0be\u00a0playing\u00a0time<\/a>.\u00a0With\u00a0Jakub\u00a0Dobes\u00a0struggling\u00a0early\u00a0and\u00a0Samuel\u00a0Montembeault\u00a0dealing\u00a0with\u00a0injury\u00a0concerns,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0has\u00a0a\u00a0legitimate\u00a0opportunity\u00a0to\u00a0take\u00a0control\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0Canadiens\u2019\u00a0crease.<\/p>\n

Winning\u00a0the\u00a0Calder\u00a0Trophy\u00a0as\u00a0a\u00a0goaltender\u00a0is\u00a0never\u00a0easy,\u00a0especially\u00a0with\u00a0talented\u00a0young\u00a0forwards\u00a0capable\u00a0of\u00a0putting\u00a0up\u00a0impressive\u00a0offensive\u00a0numbers.\u00a0However,\u00a0Fowler\u2019s\u00a0early\u00a0performances\u00a0have\u00a0shown\u00a0that\u00a0he\u00a0belongs\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0conversation. Seven\u00a0games\u00a0certainly\u00a0don\u2019t\u00a0guarantee\u00a0anything,\u00a0but\u00a0if\u00a0the\u00a0Calder\u00a0Trophy\u00a0were\u00a0awarded\u00a0today,\u00a0Jacob\u00a0Fowler\u00a0would\u00a0have\u00a0a\u00a0very\u00a0strong\u00a0argument\u00a0to\u00a0take\u00a0it\u00a0home.<\/p>\n

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\n <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The\u00a0Montreal\u00a0Canadiens\u00a0might\u00a0have\u00a0found\u00a0their\u00a0goaltender\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0future,\u00a0and\u00a0he\u00a0is\u00a0already\u00a0making\u00a0a\u00a0massive\u00a0impact\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0present.\u00a0Just\u00a0a\u00a0few\u00a0weeks\u00a0into\u00a0the\u00a02026-27\u00a0NHL\u00a0season,\u00a0Jacob\u00a0Fowler\u00a0has\u00a0established\u00a0himself\u00a0as\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0league\u2019s\u00a0most\u00a0impressive\u00a0goaltenders,\u00a0putting\u00a0together\u00a0performances\u00a0that\u00a0have\u00a0helped\u00a0keep\u00a0Montreal\u00a0competitive.\u00a0While\u00a0plenty\u00a0of\u00a0talented\u00a0rookies\u00a0are\u00a0making\u00a0their\u00a0mark\u00a0around\u00a0the\u00a0league,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0is\u00a0quickly\u00a0building\u00a0a\u00a0strong\u00a0case\u00a0to\u00a0be\u00a0considered\u00a0the\u00a0early\u00a0favorite\u00a0for\u00a0the\u00a0Calder\u00a0Trophy,\u00a0awarded\u00a0annually\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0NHL\u2019s\u00a0top\u00a0rookie. The\u00a0Numbers\u00a0Speak\u00a0for\u00a0Themselves It\u00a0is\u00a0difficult\u00a0to\u00a0find\u00a0a lot of\u00a0goaltenders\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0NHL\u00a0who\u00a0have\u00a0been\u00a0better\u00a0than\u00a0Jacob\u00a0Fowler\u00a0to\u00a0start\u00a0the\u00a0season.\u00a0Through\u00a0his\u00a0first\u00a0seven\u00a0appearances,\u00a0the\u00a021-year-old\u00a0has\u00a0posted\u00a0an\u00a0outstanding\u00a06-1-0\u00a0record,\u00a0a\u00a01.54\u00a0goals-against\u00a0average,\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0.942\u00a0save\u00a0percentage.\u00a0Those\u00a0are\u00a0remarkable\u00a0numbers\u00a0for\u00a0any\u00a0NHL\u00a0goaltender,\u00a0let\u00a0alone\u00a0a\u00a0rookie. To\u00a0put\u00a0those\u00a0numbers\u00a0into\u00a0perspective,\u00a0among\u00a0goaltenders\u00a0with\u00a0at\u00a0least\u00a0five\u00a0starts\u00a0this\u00a0season,\u00a0only\u00a0Linus\u00a0Ullmark\u00a0has\u00a0recorded\u00a0a\u00a0better\u00a0save\u00a0percentage\u00a0than\u00a0Fowler.\u00a0Meanwhile,\u00a0only\u00a0Ullmark\u00a0and\u00a0Jake\u00a0Oettinger\u00a0have\u00a0posted\u00a0a\u00a0better\u00a0goals-against\u00a0average.\u00a0Essentially,\u00a0Fowler\u00a0is\u00a0already\u00a0performing\u00a0like\u00a0one\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0NHL\u2019s\u00a0elite\u00a0goaltenders\u00a0despite\u00a0having\u00a0very\u00a0limited\u00a0experience\u00a0at\u00a0this\u00a0level. Winnipeg Jets right wing Isak Rosen scores on Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jacob…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":698395,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[3670,5,629,3567,4,8740],"class_list":["post-698394","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nhl","tag-dylan-garand","tag-hockey","tag-ivar-stenberg","tag-jacob-fowler","tag-nhl","tag-trevor-connelly"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/117524374981993694","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698394","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=698394"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/698394\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/698395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=698394"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=698394"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=698394"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}