Unlike other Czech goalkeeper hopefuls, he is not well known in the country. At the same time, 22-year-old Jakub Dobeš is, as a rookie, the most utilized goalie in the farm AHL and is eyeing a job in Montreal, the Mecca of ice hockey.
He left for North America at the age of 16 and never caught in a highly watched youth tournament such as the World Twenty20. Thanks to the interest of Montreal, he passed the NHL draft, but only in the fifth round in the 136th overall.
That is why Dobeš never attracted the attention of the wider Czech public.
However, he gave interesting performances. At Ohio State University, he even made it to the eleven candidates for the prestigious Mike Richter Award for the best NCAA goalkeeper.
But because he was attracted by professional hockey, he ended his university career prematurely like many others. After two years, he signed a contract with the Montreal Canadiens last year.
The beginnings at the club’s farm in nearby Laval were rough.
Dobeš entered the current season, his rookie season, with unremarkable performances and shared the place between the poles with the more experienced American Strauss Mann.
However, he did nothing from a precarious position. “At every stage of my career, I first played second fiddle before I was entrusted with the position of number one,” quoted the Czech player official NHL website. “It’s nothing new to me, I’ve been through it twice (first time in the American junior USHL, second time in the NCAA – editor’s note). I’ve always managed to win this fight.”
At that time, he could seem overconfident to many, especially when in the following weeks he still maintained a miserable success rate of around 85 percent.
But in the end – with the help of goalkeeping coach Marco Marciano – he picked himself up and, just like in the past, made the goal area his own.
“He’s playing really well,” Laval head coach Jean-François Houle praised his charge some time ago. “He didn’t start to his liking, but he looked great. We can see that he is confident. He wants to face shots and is controlling the game in front of the goal a lot more. He is making progress and we hope that he will continue to do so.”
Journalists who regularly follow hockey team Laval claim that it is Dobeš who has been holding the club’s chances for the playoffs lately.
Despite the miserable start, the Czech goalkeeper was able to raise the overall success rate of the saves to 90.5 percent and, most importantly, he started already in 46 games, so he is, together with Matt Villalta, the most utilized goalkeeper in the AHL.
He needs four catches in the remaining six games of the regular season to reach 50.
Among Czech goalkeepers, only Ondřej Pavelec beat this season’s goal, who achieved it 16 years ago as a rookie in 52 starts at the Atlanta farm. In addition, he already had a peek at the NHL.
Dobeš is waiting for an invitation to the main team of Montreal, but it is realistic that he will get a chance sooner or later. After the loss of star Carey Price, whose career was prematurely ended by a devastated knee, the Canadian club is still looking for a steadfast number one.
They are currently betting on the pairing of Samuel Montembeault – Cayden Primeau, but the door is ajar.
19-year-old Jacob Fowler, who is currently shining at university, is considered to be the Canadiens’ greatest goaltending hope, but Dobeš also looks promising.
