ESPN's early awards board puts Jakub Dobes in a surprising spot
Photo credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Jakub Dobes' start to the season has been impressive. His 6-0-0 record, along with his 1.97 goals-against average and .930 save percentage, is proof of that.
He has obviously played other games since then, and things have been more difficult, but the focus here is on his extremely strong start.
In short, it's no surprise that his name is starting to circulate behind the scenes in the NHL and that he's now being talked about as a dominant goaltender.
As proof, ESPN recently released a preliminary list of the frontrunners for the various individual NHL awards.
The 24-year-old Czech appears among the favorites to win the Vezina Trophy.
Jakub Dobes behind Logan Thompson, but ahead of Connor Hellebuyck
It's Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson who received the most first-place votes for this individual honor (33%).
He is followed by Jakub Dobes and Connor Hellebuyck, who each received about 24% of the votes.
Despite that, the Canadiens' goaltender appears, based on what we understand, to be ranked 2nd in ESPN's polling.
"We can't ignore the start by Jakub Dobes in Montreal," one voter argued.
Here's what they say about him:
"Dobes is having a 2024-25 Thompson-esque start for the Habs based on wins and losses, going 6-0-0 in six appearances. His numbers are stellar (.930 save percentage, 1.97 goals-against average) and significantly better than his crease-mate Sam Montembeault (.839 save percentage).
With the Canadiens sprinting out of the gate, Dobes is getting a lot of Vezina love -- oddly, he didn't get any traction on the Calder ballots. Maybe there's a learning curve here about Dobes still being a rookie despite playing 16 games last season?"
- ESPN
With the Canadiens sprinting out of the gate, Dobes is getting a lot of Vezina love -- oddly, he didn't get any traction on the Calder ballots. Maybe there's a learning curve here about Dobes still being a rookie despite playing 16 games last season?"
- ESPN
Oddly enough, the American network does not list Dobes among the finalists - or even the leader - in the race for the Calder Trophy.
Young Matthew Schaefer sits at the top of the list, followed by none other than Ivan Demidov and the surprising Emmitt Finnie of the Detroit Red Wings.
Is he really a rookie, even if the rules say he is?
It's worth noting that ESPN also included several Canadiens players in its article.
Here is the list:
Selke Trophy: Nick Suzuki (leader)
Maurice Richard Trophy: Cole Caufield (finalist)
Calder Trophy: Ivan Demidov (finalist)
Vezina Trophy: Jakub Dobeš (finalist)
Norris Trophy: Mike Matheson (finalist)
You have to admit, it's great to see so many Canadiens names among the top contenders-especially knowing that this list isn't coming from a Canadian network, but an American one!
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