Monday Ramblings: High End Prospects Ft. Sebastian Cossa, Jacob Fowler, Trey Augustine And More.

Welcome fantasy managers to another week of the Monday Ramblings. This week we are going to dive into some prospect goaltenders that managers should be keeping tabs on, in particular for those currently involved in a keeper/dynasty leagues. Each one of these young netminders has the pedigree and raw talent to be their respective franchise's future in the crease. Let’s get to it!

Sebastian Cossa

The Detroit Red Wings will be well represented in this article as you shall soon see, however with that being said, we are going to start things off with the Wings first round selection in the 2021 NHL draft - Sebastian Cossa.

Standing 6 '6 and weighing in at 229 lbs, Cossa has the size and body frame that some general managers (both in real life and fantasy) will salivate over, along with many of the attributes you would want in a prototypical number one goaltender. Detroit GM Steve Yzerman is known to let his prospects cook a little at the minor league levels and Cossa is no different, as he is enjoying a phenomenal start to his season with the Wings AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, posting a 7-3-1 record accompanied by a scorching 1.89 goals against and .937 save percentage along with one shutout.

This isn’t just a small sample size of exceptional play from the Hamilton, Ontario native either as he put together a rather impressive 2023-2024 AHL season going 22-9-9 with a very respectable 2.41 goals against and solid .913 save percentage as the Griffins undisputed number one. He’s really starting to find his groove at the AHL level and showing Wings brass why they invested a first round pick in the now 22-year-old netminder as the club continues to work their way through a rebuild.

From a fantasy perspective the timing between the young goaltenders' development and the team window of serious contention seems to be lining up nicely as fantasy managers look to strike at the right time when it comes to the Wings taking the next step in their evolution to becoming one of the league’s perennial contenders.

Trey Augustine

The second Detroit Red Wing to grace this article is none other than the Wings second round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft - Trey Augustine.

Since having his name called by general manager Steve Yzerman, Augustine has done nothing but prove to the organization that they made the right decision in selecting the youngster 41st overall out of the United States National Team Development Program. The Michigan native has starred for the NCAA’s Michigan State Spartans enjoying a successful debut to his college career in 2023-2024, as he put together a 23-9-2 record to go along with a 2.96 goals against and healthy .915 save percentage in helping Michigan State win the Big Ten title as a freshman..

The 6’1, 183lbs goaltender has been off to a sizzling start in his second season as the Spartans number one going 7-1-1 with a dominant stat line of a 1.75 goals against and a stout .935 save percentage cementing his status within the Wings goaltending hierarchy. An added bonus for the Red Wings young prospect, was an opportunity to represent the U.S. along with current Wings netminder Alex Lyon at last year's IIHF World Championships in Czechia.

Having gone through that experience, Augustine was able to see first hand the mental and physical preparation needed to be successful at the next level. All that being said, the young Augustine has performed exceptionally well under the bright lights up to this point and there seems to be no slowing down as it pertains to his continued development which can only be music to the ears of any Red Wings fan.

Jacob Fowler

The Montreal Canadiens look to have their goaltender of the future in Jacob Fowler, the team's third round selection (69th overall) from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Before Fowler’s little on-ice dustup over the weekend against the University of Connecticut, it was smooth sailing for the 20-year-old who was enjoying an amazing start to his 2024-2025 NCAA campaign, sporting a 7-2 record accompanied by a miniscule 1.55 goals against and incredible .948 save percentage, along with three shutouts on the year.

Montreal’s brass have to be quite pleased with the youngster's development to this point as his sizzling start comes on the back of a phenomenal freshman year where Fowler put up an astounding 32-6-1 record combined with a 2.14 goals against and .926 save percentage with three shutouts, backstopping Boston College to the Nation Final..

The current state of the Montreal Canadiens goaltending would suggest there is little in Fowler’s way safe for experience and continued maturity with Montreal finding itself dead last in goals against average. However, let’s not put the cart before the horse, one would think that the Canadiens prized prospect will return to Boston College for his junior season before contemplating a jump to the pros. It may be some time before we see Fowler in a Habs uniform but for those in dynasty/keeper leagues his value skyrockets as one of the best netminders outside the NHL.

Erik Portillo

The Big Swede is firmly entrenched as the Los Angeles Kings top goaltending prospect and has been for the past couple years since his trade from the Buffalo Sabres organisation for a 3rd round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.

Portillo enjoyed a very successful college career with the Michigan Wolverines putting together a 60-22-3 record with a solid 2.46 goals against and .918 save percentage during his three year stay in college. Afterwards Portillo began his pro career joining the Kings AHL affiliate the Ontario Reign where he acclimatised himself rather well with a record of 24-11-3 to go along with a 2.50 goals against and .918 save percentage with two shutouts.

Now in his second season as the Reign’s number one he’ll look to build upon a successful rookie campaign while continuing to log big minutes in the AHL. If Portillo can follow up last season with the same level of play or better, it would further cement his spot as the Kings clear backup next season to Darcy Kuemper.

It may be a couple years before we get to see Potillo’s potential ceiling but with the collection of young talent working its way to prominent roles with the big club, Portillo’s time looks to be right on track to benefit from a solid group in front of him upon his arrival.

There it is folks! A look into some high-end prospect goaltenders who fantasy managers would be wise to keep an eye on both at the AHL and collegiate level.

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See you all again next Monday!