Jakub Dobes made a big impression during his NHL debut with the Montreal Canadiens.

The fifth-round pick (No. 136) in the 2020 NHL Draft made 34 saves in a 4-0 win against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena on Dec. 28, 2024, one day after he was recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League. He's the fourth goalie in Canadiens history to have a shutout in his debut, the seventh in NHL history to defeat the defending Stanley Cup champions in his first NHL game and first since Reto Berra of the Calgary Flames against the Chicago Blackhawks on Nov. 3, 2013. Dobes also joined John Gibson of the Anaheim Ducks as the only active goalies to have a shutout in his NHL debut, with a minimum one game played in the 2024-25 season.

Dobes signed his entry-level contract with the Canadiens on March 31, 2023, and signed with Laval to finish that season in the AHL. He was 21-16-3 with a 2.31 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and three shutouts in 40 games as a sophomore at Ohio State. Dobes went 21-12-2 with a 2.24 GAA, .934 save percentage and three shutouts as a freshman to earn Big Ten Goaltender of the Year and Co-Freshman of the Year honors and was nominated for the Mike Richter Award presented to the best goalie in the NCAA.

Dobes signed a two-year contract with Montreal (average annual value of $965,000) on July 6, 2025. He earned the NHL Third Star for October after he started the 2025-26 season 6-0-0 with a 1.97 GAA and .930 save percentage to become the 10th rookie goalie in NHL history to win each of his first six appearances of a season. His 28 saves helped the Canadiens eliminate the Tampa Bay Lightning with a 2-1 win in Game 7 of the 2026 Eastern Conference First Round while becoming the fifth goalie in team history to win a Game 7 (Carey Price, Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden and Jacques Plante). Dobes also became the fourth rookie in the past 10 years (since 2016) to win one (Jordan Binnington, Matt Murray and Akira Schmid).