The Canadiens’ 2023 draft room had a real tug-of-war going on, and the name at the center of it was Jacob Fowler.
Behind-the-scenes draft footage showed Montreal’s director of player evaluation, Billy Ryan, going to bat hard for Fowler while goaltending scout Vincent Riendeau preferred another option. That other goalie stayed unnamed for a while, but Nicolas Cloutier later said on BLVD and 99.5 MTL that the debate was between Fowler and Adam Gajan.
Gajan wound up going 35th overall to the Chicago Blackhawks, making him the first goaltender selected that year. Fowler was still there when Montreal came back around and took him 69th overall in the third round.
The Canadiens had set themselves up to wait. They had already moved their late first-round pick and second-rounder in the deal for Alex Newhook after selecting David Reinbacher fifth overall, so the Fowler pick fit into a draft board that had been reshaped earlier in the night.
Ryan’s case for Fowler was simple and forceful. He believed Fowler had the tools to become an NHL star, pointing to a goalie who already understood the position, had been winning since he was 10, and brought a winner’s mindset to every start.
Three years later, that conviction looks pretty good. Fowler has opened the 2026-27 season at 7-1-1 with a .925 save percentage, and he leads the NHL in goals saved above expected.
The accolades have followed quickly. He’s already been named the NHL’s third star of the week and rookie of the month, and with 26 NHL appearances on his résumé, he’s now Montreal’s No. 1 goaltender.
Some analysts have even started talking about him as a Calder Trophy favorite. According to reports, Carey Price has said Fowler reminds him of his younger self.
Gajan’s path has gone in a different direction for now. The 22-year-old played only one AHL game with the Rockford IceHogs last season and is now in the ECHL with Indy, where he has a 2-4-0 record through six games.
That doesn’t close the book on him. Young goalies are often sent to the ECHL to get steady starts, so his current stop doesn’t define what he can become.
But the comparison is hard to miss. Five goaltenders were picked before Fowler in 2023 - Gajan, Michael Hrabal, Trey Augustine, Carson Bjarnason and Damian Clara - and none of them has played an NHL game.
In the end, Ryan’s side of the argument won out, and Montreal came away with a third-round goalie who is already looking like a franchise piece before his 22nd birthday.
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The interest has already started to surface, with teams reaching out to Montreal about Montembeaults availability. For the Canadiens, the decision is less about simply sorting out a crowded crease than about what kind of return they might want if they decide his path back to the lineup is no longer in their plans. [Read more 🡒]