*This archive was originally written by Matthew Zator
Drafting and developing a franchise goaltender is tough. It is made so difficult because there is a set learning curve at the position. Traditionally, netminders develop at a much slower pace than skaters. When the mental part of the game is factored in, it is no wonder that so many top prospects never hit the big time. With that being said, it is time to take a look at the top 10 NHL goaltending prospects.
As the 2025-26 season has progressed at each level, a handful of goaltending prospects have developed their games to another level, while others have had less-than-stellar performances for their respective teams. The 2025 NHL Entry Draft has seen the goaltenders selected in that class begin to make big jumps as well.
As far as criteria go, a goaltender is no longer considered a prospect if he has played more than 25 NHL games in any single season, more than 50 career NHL games, or is older than age 23 as of Jan. 1, 2026. With Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild) reaching the 25-game mark quickly after the Olympic break, he has “graduated” the prospect grouping. Yaroslav Askarov (San Jose Sharks) and Devon Levi (Buffalo Sabres) have graduated from being a prospect as well
Honorable Mentions: Hampton Slukysnksy (Los Angeles Kings), Yegor Zauragin (Philadelphia Flyers), Carl Lindbom (Vegas Golden Knights)
** All statistics are as of March 4 **
10. Carter George, 19, Los Angeles Kings
After making his American Hockey League (AHL) debut last season, Carter George looked great in his two-game stint with the Ontario Reign, winning both games and having a shutout as well. If he were not 19 years old, George would certainly have been back with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this season rather than with Ontario. The biggest downfall for him during his time in the OHL is that he played on an average-to-below-average Owen Sound Attack team before being sent to the Soo Greyhounds ahead of the trade deadline this season. He has been great for the Greyhounds, putting up a 10-4-3 record and solidifying himself as one of the OHL’s top goaltenders again this season.
George has plenty of international experience under his belt and has been a strong representative of Canada at the World Junior Championship (WJC). In three separate tournaments spread out between two Under-20 and one Under-18 appearances, he racked up a 12-2-0 record and was the number one goaltender in each tournament he has been a part of. With a strong finish this season with the Greyhounds, he should easily find himself playing with the Reign next season as he looks to prove he is the goaltender of the future that the Kings are looking for.
9. Joshua Ravensbergen, 19, San Jose Sharks
One of George’s teammates at the 2026 WJC with Canada (although he did not get any time in the net), Joshua Ravensbergen, has proved why he was a first-round pick by the San Jose Sharks at the 2025 NHL Draft. After a stellar draft-year season where he went 33-13-4, he has followed that up with a 26-13-0 record this season with the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League (WHL). There is not much to dislike when watching Ravensbergen play, and one of the first things you notice is his size, as he stands 6-foot-4 and looks like the prototypical NHL goaltender.
What stands out about Ravensbergen’s play in the crease, aside from his size, is how calm he is. He is constantly reading the play in front of him and anticipating the next move, doing so at a high level. He is fundamentally and positionally sound, and for his size, moves around the crease very well. With Yarsolav Askarov being the number one goaltender for the Sharks and likely the presumptive future, Ravensbergen does have some work ahead of him to become the number one in San Jose, but after committing to Michigan State University, he will have even more time to develop himself.
8. Jack Ivankovic, 18, Nashville Predators
The third Canadian goaltender to start this list, Jack Ivankovic, has taken the route from OHL to NCAA this season. He left the Brampton Steelheads to play at the University of Michigan, and it has done wonders for the Nashville Predators’ second-round pick in the 2025 Draft. After two strong seasons in the OHL with Brampton, Ivankovic has looked every bit of a future number one goaltender for the Wolverines. When he has been in the net, he has been a difference maker for one of the country’s top teams in the NCAA. He ranks in the top ten in wins (20), goals-against average (GAA) (2.15), and save percentage (SV%) (.922) among all NCAA goaltenders who have played at least 20 games this season. He was also named as a semi-finalist for the Mike Richter Award (NCAA’s top goaltender).
While Juuse Saros will be holding down the number one spot in Nashville, Ivankovic continues to show the signs of being the netminder who can create a strong duo with Saros and eventually take over the lead spot at some point down the road.
7. Ilya Nabokov, 22, Colorado Avalanche
Ilya Nabokov continues to impress in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). After winning the league’s Rookie of the Year honors for the 2023-24 season, he was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the second round of the 2024 Draft and has done nothing but improve and develop even further in Russia’s top league. He currently sits seventh in wins (22) and has the fewest losses (six) among all goaltenders who have played in at least 20 games this season. This is even with having a bit of an up-and-down start to the 2025-26 season.
What is most impressive about Nabokov’s game is the attention to detail he plays with. He is always in tune with the game and sees the ice very well from the crease. He is great at taking away angles on shooters and continues to develop his game. With Scott Wedgewood’s contract set to expire after next season, it is very plausible that Nabokov makes his way to the AHL next season, and with a strong year, that he could end up being MacKenzie Blackwood’s goaltending partner in the 2027-28 season.
6. Mikhail Yegorov, 19, New Jersey Devils
After making the move from the United States Hockey League (USHL) to Boston University last season and having a lot of success, Mikhail Yegorov has had another strong season to this point. While the record is not outstanding (13-13-2), Yegorov has continued to look like the goaltender of the future for the New Jersey Devils. The 2024 second-round pick plays in the net with great confidence and plenty of size (6-foot-5). He is a fundamentally sound goaltender, and with his size, is able to move around very well. He is very quick and athletic for his size and has continued to get better as the season has progressed at Boston University.
Whether or not Yegorov makes the jump to professional hockey next season will be something to keep an eye on, as he very well could end up back at the college level based on what the Devils see and think about his development. As of now, though, the future looks bright for both himself and the Devils when it comes to the goaltender position.
5. Michael Hrabal, 21, Utah Mammoth
Ever since being the second goaltender picked in the 2023 Draft (38th overall), Michael Hrabal has continued to take his game to another level. In his draft-year season, he played in the USHL with the Omaha Lancers, and while his record did not show it, he had a strong showing. He has been with UMass since the 2023-24 season and has seen his game develop and grow each and every season. He amassed 30 starts in both of his first two collegiate seasons and should do so again this season, sitting at 28 already. On top of that, he had success for Czechia at the international U20 WJC, posting eight wins across two tournaments.
Related: The NHL’s Top 100 Prospects – Midseason Update
With the size and athleticism that Hrabal has, he is a tough netminder to get a shot past, and uses his size to fight through screens and traffic in front of him, either physically or by being able to see around the aforementioned traffic. He takes away plenty of the net with his size (6-foot-6), and has become one of the NCAA’s top goaltenders this season. To date, he sits in the top-10 in GAA (2.09), SV% (.931), and shutouts (four). With his continued development and play, he is proving he is a big piece of the Utah Mammoth organization on the upswing.
With Karl Vejmelka having a strong season and being under contract through the 2029-30 season, Hrabal might not take over the number one role right away, but he has all of the tools to become a legitimate starter in the NHL at some point in the future.
4. Sergei Murashov, 21, Pittsburgh Penguins
All Sergei Murashov does is win, it seems like. Since signing his entry-level contract (ELC) in 2024, he has shown why there is so much excitement from the Pittsburgh Penguins organization surrounding him. He has been rock-solid at both the ECHL and AHL levels over the past season-plus of North American professional hockey, after spending parts of four seasons in the MHL in Russia. There is not much that you can dislike about the way Murashov plays, as he plays with great confidence and movement within the net, and does not find himself out of position very often. So far this season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), he sits in the top five in wins (20), GAA (2.13), SV% (.924), and shutouts (three), and has been one of the league’s best netminders.
Murashov did make his NHL debut earlier this season when the Penguins ran into some injury issues at the position, and there were some growing pains (as is expected with young goaltenders), but there were also plenty of signs of him being a future starting goaltender. In five games in the NHL, he went 1-1-2, and with Stuart Skinner being an unrestricted free agent (UFA) at the end of this season, Murashov could push for a spot on the opening night roster next season as the Penguins continue to build toward the future. With him and Joel Blomqvist likely being the goaltending tandem for the future, the Penguins organization should be in good hands.
3. Trey Augustine, 20, Detroit Red Wings
There is not much that Trey Augustine has not accomplished in his amateur hockey career. He has won gold twice at the WJC with the United States and has been one of the NCAA’s top goaltenders since making the jump in 2024. He continues to look every bit of a future starting goaltender in the NHL with his play at Michigan State University. He has been rock solid for the Spartans as they look to make a push for a Frozen Four after a surprising upset loss to Cornell in the first round of last year’s NCAA tournament.
What sticks out the most about Augustine is his athleticism in the crease. He is not the biggest netminder, standing at 6-foot-1, so being able to move around the crease well and take away angles has become his calling card. Another goaltender on this list who is a semi-finalist for the Mike Richter Award, Augustine ranks in the top five in wins and GAA, and sits sixth in SV%. With Sebastian Cossa also in the Red Wings’ system, he and Augustine will be the future goaltending tandem for the organization (barring a trade of one of them). Augustine should be making his way to the professional ranks after this season, but he will still need to sign his ELC with the Red Wings, as he has yet to do so.
2. Sebastian Cossa, 23, Detroit Red Wings
The comparisons between Jesper Wallstedt and Sebastian Cossa have been ongoing since they were both drafted in the first round of the 2021 Draft, and rightfully so. While Wallstedt has made his way to the NHL full-time with the Minnesota Wild, Cossa is taking a bit longer to reach the NHL. He struggled with inconsistent play in his first full professional season (2022-23), spending most of it in the ECHL with the Toledo Walleye. But over the past couple of seasons, he has taken his play to another level and has looked like the goaltender the Red Wings management thought he could be when they drafted him.
This season, the 23-year-old netminder has been on another level with his play on the AHL’s top team (Grand Rapids Griffins). He has looked rock-solid all season for the Griffins and has the statistics to back it up. He currently sits tied for first in wins and shutouts, while being in second in both GAA and SV%. Cossa uses every bit of his size (6-foot-6) to help fill the net and is fundamentally sound in the net. For his size, he moves around the crease very well, and when he does look like he is out of position, he has the athleticism to quickly recover and has made plenty of highlight reel saves.
Many Red Wings fans have been calling for Cossa to get a full-time chance at the NHL level, and that very well should come next season with Cam Talbot being a UFA this offseason. With him and Augustine both developing and playing at the level that they are, the goaltender position is in solid hands in Detroit.
1. Jacob Fowler, 21, Montreal Canadiens
Jacob Fowler continues to show why Montreal Canadiens fans are excited about the future of their goaltender position. Easily the best prospect that the organization has had since Carey Price, Fowler just continues to impress. He has the explosiveness in the crease to make any save and make any move he needs to, so he is positioned well in the crease. After two great seasons at Boston College, headlined by winning the 2025 Mike Richter Award, he made his professional debut at the end of last season with the Laval Rocket and showed he was more than ready for the professional game.
This season, Fowler continues to put up great numbers, with an 18-7-2 record and sitting in fourth in GAA and SV% in the AHL. He earned his first NHL call-up this season and ended up getting in 10 games of action for the Canadiens, and showed plenty of flashes of being the organization’s franchise netminder of the future. In those 10 games, he tallied a 4-4-2 record, 2.62 GAA, and a .902 SV%, while also picking up his first NHL shutout on Dec. 12 against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Since being sent back to Laval, he has continued his strong play.
Rocket fans should take advantage of the time they will get to see Fowler play, as it will not be a long tenure for the 2023 third-round pick. He will be in the NHL full-time sooner rather than later and will certainly help out a Canadiens team that is on the upswing, given the talent in front of their goaltender.
