Jesper Wallstedt is the toast of the goaltending world after collecting his fourth shutout of the season and fifth of his young NHL career Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers – the team that ironically traded out of the spot that Wallstedt was ultimately drafted in 2021.

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While we now see the soon-to-be iconic one-knee celebrations from the Wild’s “goalie of the future,” it’s easy to forget how far away that seemed for Wallstedt last season as he had what was statistically his worst in the AHL. 

His ascent is a good reminder of a few things: goalies require patience and sometimes the numbers don’t tell the whole story.

Wallstedt was recently named NHL Rookie of the Month for November and is suddenly firmly in the Calder Trophy discussion along with last year’s No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer. This remarkable breakout that now includes a sparkling .944 save percentage through 10 games this season, with his four shutouts and zero regulation losses.

When the NHL shared that Wallstedt is the first goalie to have five shutouts within his first 15 career games since Frank “Mr. Zero” Brimsek, this hockey-history-loving writer about hit the ceiling. If you get mentioned in the same breath as Mr. Zero – best goalie nickname of all time – that’s something special.

Jesper Wallstedt recorded his League-leading fourth shutout of the season for the @mnwild and required the second-fewest games to reach five in his career (15 GP).#NHLStats: https://t.co/RcIJFRCn3Q pic.twitter.com/tPCSJwCF51

— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) December 3, 2025

This is the Jesper Wallstedt so many thought he was destined to be. He was one of the very best youth goalies in Sweden, ascending to the national teams ahead of his peers and even making his pro debut in the SHL as a U18. 

I first saw him as a 15-year-old playing for Sweden at one of the most loaded Hlinka-Gretzky Cups we’ve witnessed. Sweden started him in a preliminary-round game against Canada. Though Sweden lost the game 4-3, Wallstedt made 31 saves and kept his team in the game. It was one of those mark-it-down moments where you think, this is a player we’re going to need to know about.

Sure enough, two years later, the Wild traded up with the Oilers to select him 20th overall.

Wallstedt has always had the pedigree, but as I’ve heard from goalie coaches and evaluators often, the transition to the AHL is not so simple for a goaltender. Some feel jumping from the AHL to the NHL is easier than the jump into the AHL from wherever they came from.  

Nonetheless, Wallstedt was an All-Star Game selection in each of his first two seasons with the Iowa Wild. He had a .908 save percentage in his first season, then improved to a .910 mark with heavier duty in his second year. They were good years, but not dominant and maybe not the kind that screamed NHL ready.

The Wall of St. Paul stands tall 🧱

Wallstedt leads the NHL in shutouts this season with four after last night's 33-save outing. He has recorded five career shutouts in just 15 games played. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/gX3AlETSdf

— NHL (@NHL) December 3, 2025

With Marc-Andre Fleury playing his final season and Filip Gustavsson still holding a firm grip on the crease, there wasn’t room for Wallstedt in Minnesota's crease anyway. So he went back to Iowa for a third season. This time, however, it didn't go well at all.

As an occasional color commentator for the Iowa Wild broadcasts, I saw Wallstedt a fair amount last season and it was the first time I had ever really been concerned about where his career was going.

He won nine of 27 appearances, posting an unsightly .879 save percentage. He had seven games where he allowed five or more and had one snowman on his docket, an 8-4 pounding by the Texas Stars on home ice.

Now, it’s important to know that last year’s Wild team really struggled in front of him. They had a relatively young D corps and didn’t get enough from some of their veterans. Wallstedt didn’t forget how to play overnight, but there were some days were you wondered if he was going backwards.

In a position that is so tied to the mental elements, I certainly wondered how his confidence would fare amid such a tumultuous season.

You know who didn’t waver in their belief of the goalie? The Minnesota Wild. Despite that season, they gave him his shot right away this year. And how has he rewarded them? By playing some of the absolute best hockey of his pro career.

It’s a good lesson in patience, understanding a player’s body of work and putting them in positions to succeed.  It’s also a great reminder that when a goalie is truly ready for the NHL, they might exceed what you saw from them in the AHL.

It certainly helps to have Brock Faber and Jonas Brodin in front of you, but I also think goalies like Wallstedt, who have a high level of hockey sense, are going to find playing in the NHL a bit "easier."

Every level a player goes up, there are adjustments. But until you're at the highest level, there are things that don’t happen as they should, or perhaps not how they would in the NHL. The precision of the NHL leads to a little bit more predictability. The goalie can have more faith in his defender to make the right read and right play. The passes are going to connect more frequently. The game moves faster, but it moves as it should. And in Wallstedt's case right now, it's moving in a way that he not only can handle but can thrive in.

Wallstedt's incredible start this year is a good lesson for fan bases waiting for their goalie prospects to matriculate. It never happens as fast as anyone would like, but the teams that are patient can be rewarded by taking that gradual approach.

Sebastian Cossa, who went a few spots ahead of Wallstedt, could be the next example. He was just named AHL goalie of the month as he’s hitting his stride with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Devon Levi is still finding his way with the Rochester Americans. Both still have very real, very strong NHL aspirations and upside. The time isn't quite right yet, and that's OK.

As Wallstedt shows, it’s not always about what the box score says. The things that made a player so highly regarded are often still there, no matter what the save percentage reads. Patience and belief go a long way. But the goalie also has to take advantage of the opportunities given. Wallstedt is doing that in a big, big way and now everyone is noticing.

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