Scout's Notebook: Jacob Fowler off to dominant start for Boston College
When it comes to goalie prospects I’ve always felt it’s smart to take at least a couple weeks before jumping to anything that even feels like a conclusion. With the nature of the position some players start quicker than others, and some goalies – typically those new to a league or team – can sometimes overplay their position before other teams figure them out.
That’s why it’s an ideal time in mid-November to start sifting through all of this, since highs and lows in theory have started to even out.
So in the first goalie’s only scout notebook here at Elite Prospects, let’s check in on one of the best goalies in college hockey and two 2025 Draft Prospects that have grabbed my attention.
Jacob Fowler, G, Boston College (Montreal Canadiens)
To be clear, Jacob Fowler plays for one of the best teams in college hockey, so we have to take that into account when looking at his 1.26 goals against average and .950 save percentage to start the season. He also leads the NCAA with three shutouts in just eight games, and it’s probably a good bet he’ll lead the nation in clean sheets all season.
Because of the team he plays for I’ve always watched Fowler slightly closer, almost looking for mistakes, and even with that hyper focus on errors, I rarely find much to dislike in Fowler’s game.
He doesn’t face a heavy workload at Boston College, but I love the way Fowler rises to the big moment when needed and doesn’t lose focus when the puck spends long stretches on the other end of the rink. I personally think this is a vital skill to reach the NHL, being able to set your own rhythm and not having to rely on volume to get into games.
Fowler’s movement is exceptional and sometimes surprising, personally I’ve been impressed with how he adapts on low-to-high plays, a bit of a staple in college hockey, but also something that has eaten up other teenage goalies – remember Fowler will only turn 20 next week.
Joshua Ravensbergen, G, Prince George Cougars
When talking to NHL goalie experts and doing my own research, it’s pretty clear that Joshua Ravensbergen has the inside track on being the first goalie taken in the 2025 NHL Draft, potentially in the late teens or early 20s, depending on how NHL team needs line up in June.
Ravensbergen is 6-foot-5 and effectively robotic in a good way, he owns space well in the crease and plays to his strengths. You can tell the calming impact he has on Prince George, especially when the goalie cleans up some of the multiple defensive mistakes and poor boxouts that the Cougars dealt with earlier in the season.
Ravensbergen is imposing in 1-on-1 situations and odd-man rushes, a rarity for junior hockey goalies. He swallows everything and while players try to wait him out, he frequently ushers shooters into worse shots with how well he tracks.
His movement is impressive for his size, he’s straight up explosive, and he does a better job than expected handling rebounds when having to make saves while going east to west and vice versa.
Jack Ivankovic, G, Brampton Steelheads
Jack Ivankovic is my favourite goalie prospect to watch for the 2025 NHL Draft, full stop.
Ivankovic is incredibly athletic and his puck tracking is elite. One of the things about Ivankovic that I really enjoy is watching how well he stays locked on the puck, even when having to work through traffic and scrambles in front of him. And with Brampton there are a lot of messy moments where the goalie looks like he’s in survival mode after some of the defensive decisions. There are times he looks very Dominik Hasek-esque out of necessity.
Ivankovic’s four-game suspension after he fought Niagara IceDogs goalie Owen Flores was a good reminder of how much Brampton relies on his heroics.
NHL goalie people I speak to rave about his competitiveness and how while he plays with fiery intensity, it doesn’t tend to impact his save selection or force him into poor decisions when it comes to stopping the puck.
The problem for Ivankovic is that he’s 5-foot-11 and that might be a slightly generous listing. Between the NHL and AHL this season, there are only two goalies shorter than six feet on active rosters, Juuse Saros with the Nashville Predators and Matt Vernon with the Rochester Americans.
I personally think Ivankovic will be a pro goalie, he might even go in the second round based on some conversations I’ve had, but he faces a challenge that he’s not just a “shorter goalie” by today’s standards, he’s abnormally small.
One thing that might work for Ivankovic is that in this draft, two of the other goalies teams will likely consider after Ravensbergen are also “shorter,” with Pyotr Andreyanov checking in at 6 foot and Love Härenstam being the tallest of the trio at 6-foot-1.
