The Canadiens have recalled goaltender Jacob Fowler, center Owen Beck, and defenseman Adam Engstrom from AHL Laval, according to a team announcement late last night. They’d been operating without any healthy extras on the active roster, so they had three open spots. With no new injuries other than the Habs’ longstanding IR designations for Kirby Dach, Kaiden Guhle, Patrik Laine, and Alex Newhook, all three look to be performance-based recalls as Montreal continues to embrace the youth movement.
Fowler, 21, was Montreal’s third-round pick in the 2023 draft. He’s since become one of the top goalie prospects in hockey and a consensus top-five prospect in the Habs’ pool, ranking #4 according to NHL.com and #2 according to Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler also ranked Fowler as the No. 2 goalie prospect in the league over the offseason behind the Sharks’ Yaroslav Askarov. With the latter now being a full-fledged starter in San Jose, Fowler may be the brightest name outside of the NHL.
It’s his elite positioning and incredible side-to-side technique that scouts praise, leading him to post some ridiculous stat lines in college over the past few seasons. The Florida native spent two seasons at Boston College before turning pro with Laval at the end of last year. He backstopped the Eagles to back-to-back Hockey East regular-season championships, was a First Team All-Star both years, and won NCAA Goalie of the Year honors as a sophomore with a .940 SV%, 1.63 GAA, seven shutouts, and a 25-7-2 record in 35 games.
Now, as a first-year pro, he’s immediately stepped in as a top-five starter in the AHL. His three shutouts in 15 games are tied for the league lead, as are his 10 wins. Among 31 AHLers with 10-plus appearances, his .919 SV% and 2.09 GAA rank fifth. He’s well on track for an AHL All-Star nod, if not Rookie of the Year honors as well.
While some subpar scoring chance generation numbers at 5-on-5 are the biggest reason why the Habs have had trouble holding onto a playoff spot this year, subpar goaltending hasn’t helped. Last year’s breakout starter, Sam Montembeault, has now lost the crease to second-year NHLer Jakub Dobes and has an untenable .861 SV% in 14 appearances. Dobes has been better on the whole, but he’s also been incredibly streaky. The 24-year-old had a .940 SV% through his first five outings before posting a .827 mark in his next five. Since then, he’s averaged a .888 mark for a .891 SV% on the year, putting him squarely in ’meh’ territory with 0.1 goal saved above expected, per MoneyPuck.
One thing’s for sure – Fowler isn’t coming up to ride the bench when he could easily continue a starter’s workload in Laval. He should be ticketed for his first NHL start tomorrow against the Penguins. Montreal has the roster flexibility to carry three goalies for the time being while they sort out what’s best for the team now and what’s best for Fowler’s development.
Beck and Engstrom aren’t afterthoughts, either. The former was a second-round pick in 2022 and is still viewed as a top-five-to-10 prospect in the pipeline. The 21-year-old has gotten NHL reps before – including two appearances this year on an October recall. He has just one assist and a -4 rating in 15 career showings dating back to his post-draft season, though.
Things have been tough sledding in Laval this year for the 6’0″ pivot, though. Touted as one of the better two-way centers from his draft class, his -4 rating in 22 games is second-worst on the club – particularly jarring considering Laval has a +23 goal differential – and he’s been limited to three goals and eight assists for 11 points. That 0.50 points per game mark is a large step back from the 0.69 he managed last season as a rookie.
Nonetheless, things aren’t working on Montreal’s fourth line at present. Center Joe Veleno has just one point – a goal – in 24 games with a -10 rating. Beck’s career stats, even in a limited sample, are preferable to that. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him get a look over the former first-rounder in Veleno tomorrow in Pittsburgh as well.
Engstrom’s recall may be more oriented toward having an extra defender available for a road game, something the Habs have done many times already this season without shaking up their lineup. The 2022 third-rounder spent several days on the roster around Thanksgiving and made his first two career NHL appearances in the process, going without a point but managing an even rating and three shot attempts with two blocks and one hit. He was used squarely in bottom-pairing minutes, averaging 12:03 of ice time per game.
The 22-year-old lefty is viewed as a high-ceiling puck-mover, though, and has even been generating some trade interest as the Habs have very little maneuverability on defense long-term. Their top-four group of Guhle, Noah Dobson, Lane Hutson, and Mike Matheson are all signed long-term, with top prospect David Reinbacher still to come. Now in his second season in Laval, Engstrom is in the early stages of a breakout with a 5-11–16 scoring line in 20 games, including a +8 rating. With Guhle unavailable, there’s an argument to be made that he should be getting a longer look in the NHL ahead of lower-ceiling options like Jayden Struble and Arber Xhekaj.
Image courtesy of Eric Canha-Imagn Images.