Hockey Montreal is once again ecstatic about Jakub Dobeš. In the last season of the NHL, the Czech goalkeeper flew from the farm to the role of the club’s number two, this time he even claims the post of number one. And it has stellar competition.
Montreal’s formal number one is Sam Montembeault, a serious candidate for Canada’s Olympic nomination. Lately, however, his supposed replacement Dobeš has been getting more space, who is simply forcing the coaches to do so with his form.
Judge for yourself: four games, four wins and a save success rate of 95 percent.
“Dobeš was sensational in the training camp, preseason matches and now he is doing well at the beginning of the season,” praised the 24-year-old Czech long-player Marc Denis, an analyst of the TSN station, who made it to Columbus’ number one position in the NHL in the 2000s.
“He is athletic, young and balances on a fine line between self-confidence, certainty and occasionally even crossing the limits,” he continued to Dobeš. “It’s a welcome internal competition for Montreal, let’s not turn everything into a negative.”
The 28-year-old Montembeault has caught five games so far this year, one more than his colleague. And the success rate of interventions remains well below 90 percent.
Montreal coach Martin St. However, Louis expects the tables to turn. Several times.
“The regular season has 82 games and we have two goalkeepers. Will they both be in top form for the whole year? No. That’s why you manage their workload according to their performance,” he said.
“As for Dobeš, with what he showed last season and what he is showing now, he deserves to start. We have confidence in both goalkeepers, but I think this league is based on competition. You will always have some competition within the team, in any position. The players want more,” reminded St. Louis.
“What I like most about Dobeš is his competitiveness. He catches with a certain, almost boyish confidence,” he added.
Čech’s individuality is manifested not only in goal, but also in post-match interviews or on the bench – for example, when he verbally provokes opponents in the role of a substitute. This is also why he is becoming more and more popular among Canadiens fans.
Last regular season, he started 16 NHL games, while Montembeault made 62 catches. This time it could be more balanced.
“The Quebec goalkeeper may not lose his place in favor of Dobeš, but the performances of the young Czech lead the team to reduce Montembeault’s workload, perhaps to the level of the league average,” Marc Godin from the French-language Radio-Canada station evaluated the situation.
Dobeš’s goalkeeper colleague Sam Montembeault | Photo: Reuters
One of the best Canadian goalkeepers today would have caught around 50 duels in that case. The rest of the 82 games would go to Dobeš.
It’s a great prediction for a native of Ostrava. Although he showed a steep rise in the previous season, towards the end of it and during the summer break he also faced – as is customary in Montreal, Canada – scathing comments. That he moves to the ice too early on shots. That he lacks composure while catching.
“Last year I was more nervous as a rookie. This year I’m just enjoying it. That’s actually what I changed in my game,” explained Dobeš, why he’s doing so well at the moment.
Formally, he is still a rookie. He did not exceed the age limit of 26 years and also meets the limits for the number of matches in previous years. He can therefore compete for the Calder Trophy for Rookie of the Year, a trophy that has not yet had a Czech owner.
