Coaches often say that building hockey teams starts from the net out, so it’s no wonder why the New England region is filled with such strong Division 1 programs year in and year out.
After the emergence of so many strong first-year netminders last season, there will be plenty of experienced netminders to keep tabs on around the region in 2024-25.
In our preseason Hockey East rankings, one of the common threads is good goaltending.
Here are some to watch.
Jacob Fowler
Boston College | Sophomore
Fowler is the latest in a line of freshman goaltenders to lead the Eagles to new heights. The Floridian returns after setting a national freshman record with 33 wins, posting a 2.14 GAA and Hockey East-best .926 save percentage, all while providing stability to a position where he was the third new BC starter in as many seasons in 2023-24.
Mathieu Caron
Boston University | Senior
The ultimate workhorse, starting all 40 of BU’s games last season, Caron got better as the Terriers rolled deeper along their run to a second consecutive Frozen Four. There was no turning back once the Brown transfer got fully comfortable in Hockey East, finishing second with a .924 save percentage and 2.14 GAA during conference play. It was Caron’s 7-0-1 run late in the season that helped his team reach the TD Garden stage in March, and he allowed two or fewer goals in nine of his last 14 starts.
Michael Hrabal
Massachusetts | Sophomore
The 6-foot-7 native of Czechia is back in Amherst after emerging as the first freshman goaltender in UMass history to earn a Hockey East All-Star nod last season. Like many collegiate newcomers, Hrabal gained comfort and confidence at the position as the year drew on and, in coach Greg Carvel’s eyes, was a major catalyst of the Minutemen’s run to another NCAA appearance in March. His rookie season included a 16-12-1 record and a .912 save percentage on top of winning a bronze medal at the World Junior Championship.
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Albin Boija
Maine | Sophomore
The Black Bears opened last season with loads of excitement between the arrival of Josh and Bradly Nadeau up front and the return of goaltender Victor Ostman, a second-team Hockey East All-Star from 2022-23. Confidence at the position will not be an issue again in Orono, as Boija made 16 starts along Maine’s deepest postseason run since 2012. The native of Sweden was 10-6-1 with a .916 save percentage and 2.01 GAA that tied for third nationally, including a quarterfinal shutout of New Hampshire. Alongside Boija, Maine welcomes in a touted freshman in Patriks Berzins, who played in two World Junior Championships for Latvia.
Nils Wallstrom
Merrimack | Sophomore
Wallstrom finished last season as the top first-year goaltender in Atlantic Hockey, beating out a pair of senior transfers for the starting job at American International. The native of Sweden tied the league’s freshman record with 19 victories while posting a 2.27 GAA and .920 save percentage, all while leading the Yellow Jackets on a postseason run to the title game as a No. 5 seed. With Hugo Ollas (signed with the New York Rangers) and Zachary Borgiel (transferred to Providence) both gone, Wallstrom and freshman Max Lundgren likely have the path to the net.
Cameron Whitehead
Northeastern | Sophomore
Whitehead had the unenviable task of replacing two-time Mike Richter Award winner and now-Buffalo Sabres stopper Devon Levi in the pipes as a freshman, but he turned in a strong debut run that helped keep the Huskies competitive throughout Hockey East and win the Beanpot title. The Ontario native and former USHL All-Star was one of just three Division 1 first-year netminders to make 1,000 saves. Whitehead averaged 28 stops per contest while starting in 35 of Northeastern’s 36 games.
Philip Svedeback
Providence | Junior
A fourth-round draft pick of the Boston Bruins in 2021, Svedeback has been handed the load from coach Nate Leaman over his first two seasons at Providence. After Svedeback won a career-high 18 games and posted a 2.32 GAA last season, it could be an interesting year at the position for the Friars with Borgiel transferring in from Merrimack.
Keenan Rancier
Vermont | Graduate
Among new transfers to the Hockey East scene, Rancier carries the longest and most successful Division 1 track record after spending three seasons at Minnesota State, where he was a freshman on a 2021-22 team that played for a national championship. In 2022-23, he emerged as the starter and led the CCHA with a 1.86 GAA. He was injured for part of last season but played in 12 games and posted a 2.44 GAA and a .910 save percentage.
Thomas Gale
Holy Cross | Senior
Gale and fellow netminder Jason Grande, who graduated, were candidates for the Mike Richter Award last year. Gale has improved greatly over his first two seasons, earning a career-high eight wins alongside a 2.41 GAA and .917 save percentage as a junior.
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Jack Stark
Yale | Sophomore
A former USHL champion with the Chicago Steel, Stark made a strong first impression for a Bulldog team that looks to climb the ECAC Hockey standings. The Minnesota native was a finalist for ECAC Rookie of the Year after logging eight of the team’s 10 wins, a .919 save percentage and 2.22 GAA on the season, while posting even better numbers in league play. The most recent Bulldog to earn ECAC All-Rookie honors? NHLer Joe Snively. So, he’s in good company.
