Down on the Farm: The Upcoming Ascent of Jesper Wallstedt

When the Minnesota Wild drafted goalie Jesper Wallstedt with the 20th overall pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, they may very well have found their goalie of the future. The Vasteras, Sweden native was the second netminder drafted on July 23, five picks after Detroit selected Sebastien Cossa with its second pick of the opening round.
Still, Wallstedt is the highest goaltender drafted in Minnesota Wild history and the only goalie ever drafted by the club in the first round.

There is no argument in Wallstedt's statistics; they are outrageously good from his time in the Swedish Hockey League with Lulea. His accomplishments are hard to ignore, as they began piling up at age 15. What stands out is a mature 19-year-old who is on a hockey journey to one day man the crease for the Minnesota Wild. If all goes according to plan, he will be the cornerstone of the franchise's defense for the foreseeable future.
As Wallstedt led Team Sweden through the preliminaries and all the way to a bronze medal during the World Juniors this past August, it was clear that he had natural talent and could one day stand between the pipes in the National Hockey League. His ownership of his play in the preliminaries spoke volumes of his character. After a 3-2 loss to Team USA, in which he made 38 saves, Wallstedt voiced his frustration with his own play and took responsibility for the defeat.
You want that attitude in your crease. The young goalie backed it up with his play and helped his team edge Latvia 2-1 in a quarterfinal win. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound netminder nearly beat the Fins in the next contest, stopping 27 shots in a 1-0 semifinal defeat. It was no surprise when he was named the tournament's best goaltender and selected to the all-star team to conclude the events in Edmonton.
Jesper, who turns 20 in November, is surrounded by good teammates and coaches that will help guide him through the prospect pipeline. This includes Iowa's goaltending coach Richard Bachman, who played in the American Hockey League for over a decade.
"He is a little bit reserved and can be quiet," explained Bachman. "He is always wanting to take care of others. He will make sure everyone else is good before considering himself."
He embraces his hockey family. The support is important to Wallstedt's family, who are 4,410 miles from Des Moines. Despite a seven-hour time difference between the two cities, he manages to carefully time his video calls back home. Jesper is especially close to his older brother, Jacob, who ironically also played in net. When it came time for the younger Wallstedt to figure out what position he wanted to focus on, he followed his family tradition and one of his heroes growing up.
"When I first started playing, I was a defenseman and a goalie," explained the first-round pick. "Both my dad (Jonas) and my brother were goalies. My brother and I grew up big fans of Henrik Lundquist and the New York Rangers. We followed his career closely. When it came down to it, I felt goalie was the right choice for me."
He recalled a conversation with his brother when Jesper was "13 or 14 years old". He remembered a discussion with Jacob that was critical to his decision. His brother praised Jesper's play in net, adding he could not be a defenseman because he was too good of a goalie. The rest is history and Jesper has loved the position ever since.
It started to get serious for him a few years later after he claimed a spot on the Sweden Select team. The team was stacked with some of the country's elite, including many high-end NHL prospects. Wallstedt made his name known at age 15, when he debuted in the under-20 league, suiting up against players three to four years his elder. He was officially on the scene by the 2017-18 season in Sweden.
He set numerous records, including bypassing Victor Hedman as the youngest player to appear in a league game. Wallstedt is also the youngest player to score a goal in league history. The more attention he earned; the more opportunities came with it.
He represented Team Sweden in every tournament moving forward at all age levels (U16, U17, U18, and U20). Keep in mind, he was usually the youngest player on the ice. Wallstedt then made the jump to the SHL professional league on March 10, 2020. At 17, he was the youngest goalie to ever play in the SHL.
Fast forward just two years and Wallstedt is on the brink of the NHL while transitioning to the AHL's pro game.
"For a young kid coming in, he has great poise, stays calm and is intelligent," said Bachman. "He reads the game really well. He provides a steady presence which gives his team a lot of confidence out there. The biggest thing for him to learn will be patience. It's something all young goalies need early on in their careers."
All players develop at their own pace. It depends on how rapidly they can adjust and refine their game to earn that opportunity at the next level. If patience is one of the most important things for a young goaltender, then we all must understand the process can take some time. It's not clear how long Wild fans will be expected to wait to see this phenom hit the crease at the "X", but they should be excited to see him sooner than later. For now, they have no choice but to be patient.