BC Bulletin

Is Boston College 'Goalie U' of NCAA Division I Hockey Programs: The Rundown

On Tuesday night, the Eagles had four former goaltenders start in an NHL game.
Graham Dietz|
John Quackenbos / Boston College Athletics (bceagles.com)

The last decade of Boston College men’s hockey’s goaltender play has only seemed to improve with each new player who steps in between the pipes for the Eagles.

From Thatcher Demko to Joseph Woll, Spencer Knight, and Jacob Fowler, BC has turned into a factory of NHL-bound goalies. 

Even freshman netminder Louka Cloutier, who owns a 10-3-1 record with a .918 save percentage and a goals against average of 2.01 so far this season, is already boasting that level of potential.

On Tuesday night, all four aforementioned goalies, Demko (Vancouver Canucks), Woll (Toronto Maple Leafs), Knight (Chicago Blackhawks), and Fowler (Montreal Canadiens), started in an NHL game.

For reference, no other college hockey program in the nation has had more than one former goalie play in the NHL this season, which shows just how dominant the goaltender department on the Heights has performed at the professional level as of late.

While Demko, Knight, and Woll are considered veterans of the NHL by now, Fowler is just a newbie to the highest tier of the sport. But he is already impressing early in his career—in his debut, on Dec. 11 against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Melbourne, Fla., native surrendered just two goals and stopped 38 shots, picking up the first win of his professional career.

Demko played in Chestnut Hill, Mass., from 2013-15, earning a Hockey East All-Star Honorable Mention nod as a sophomore. Woll played from 2016-19, receiving Hockey East All-Rookie Team honors, the Bennie Burke Most Outstanding Freshman Award, Hockey East Third-Team honors, and was named to the Mike Richter Award Watch list in 2018-19 as a junior.

Knight took BC goaltender play to an even higher realm, earning First Team All-American honors his senior year (2020-21) along with Hockey East Player and Goaltender of the Year Awards. He was additionally a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award and a top-three finalist for the Mike Richter Award.

Out of the entire group, however, Fowler was the only Mike Richter Award winner, which he captured in 2024-25. He was the Hockey East Goaltender of the Year and a Hockey East First Team All-Star during both seasons he played on the Heights, including an ACHA First Team All-American in both campaigns as well.

If the recent trend continues with Cloutier in net—and the early signs are promising approximately halfway through the 2025-26 season—the claim to “Goalie U” will surely be one that BC holds onto for at least the immediate future.

Here is The Rundown for Dec. 18, 2025.

Thursday's Schedule:

There are no games scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 18.

Wednesday's Results:

There were no games played on Wednesday, Dec. 17.

Did You Notice?

  • Boston College football linebacker Bryce Steele was named the 2025 Comeback Player of the Year. Steele battled spurts of cancer multiple times, including during his BC career, yet was able to play throughout all of 2025.
  • Former Boston College football wide receiver Lewis Bond, who broke the program record this season for most receptions in a single season and career receptions, declared he is officially entering the 2026 NFL Draft on his Instagram.
  • Check out the artists that Boston College men's basketball players Jayden Hastings and Aidan Shaw listened to this past year.

Boston College Eagles Quote of the Day:

“This is the finest squad I've ever had. Their courage and character was the one thing that kept us going this season. I don't think I'll ever have a finer bunch of players as long as I am coaching. A coach usually has his pet team, and this one is mine. I don't see how any other could be better."

- Frank Leahy on 1940 team

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Graham Dietz
GRAHAM DIETZ

Graham Dietz is a 2025 graduate of Boston College and subsequently joined Boston College On SI. He previously served as an editor for The Heights, the independent student newspaper, from fall 2021, including as Sports Editor from 2022-23. Graham works for The Boston Globe as a sports correspondent, covering high school football, girls' basketball, and baseball. He was also a beat writer for the Chatham Anglers of the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer of 2023.

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