Jacob Fowler will make his first start of the season for the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday, just one day after being recalled from the AHL’s Laval Rocket.
Fowler’s promotion came after after Sam Montembeault left practice early on Wednesday with an apparent lower-body injury. He is now in line to start against the Nashville Predators, while Montembeault has yet to play this season.
Fowler, 21, made his NHL debut last season. Originally taken with the 69th overall selection of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the Melbourne, FL native was 9-6-2 with a .908 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.43. He has allowed three goals in two starts in the AHL this season.
Montembeault left the ice on Wednesday afternoon seeming to favour his right leg. The Becancour, Que. native has served only as backup to Jakub Dobes in three Canadiens’ games to date.
The 29-year-old netminder will be looked at by doctors Thursday and is currently without a set timeline for his recovery.
“It was tough. Nobody really knew what happened, and still not too sure,” Canadiens forward Cole Caufield said Thursday of Montembeault’s injury. “You think of how hard he’s worked and what he’s had to overcome in the last number of months, you never want to see anybody go down.”
Montembeault, 29, had a 10-8-4 record last season with an .872 save percentage and 3.43 goals-against average. He did not appear in the Canadiens’ playoff run to the Eastern Conference Final.
The 6-foot-3 netminder is entering the final season of a three-year, $9.45 million contract that carries an annual cap hit of $3.15 million. He is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2026-27 campaign.
Montreal has started the season 1-1-1, an identical record to the visiting Predators.