Walterri Ignatjew knows that there can only be one Iggy in this town.
The Finnish goalie – signed in April – is attending his first training camp with the Flames organization, and some of the guys gave the backstop a familiar nickname.
“The guys keep using Iggy even though I told them that they could use Wade,” laughed Ignatjew. “They said Iggy is a better nickname so they are sticking with that one. I don’t know how the fans are going to feel about that one. Some of the guys call me Walt or Wally, so I’m up for some new ones.”
Whatever they call him, it doesn’t matter as long as he keeps the puck out of the net.
So far, he’s off to a good start in that department.
The 24-year-old made his North American debut at the 2024 Young Stars Classic in Penticton last weekend, looking calm and composed, getting the win against the Oilers making 24 saves.
Heck, he even tried to rifle a puck the length of the ice for an empty-netter late in the tilt.
“They said I wasn’t allowed to pass the puck through the middle, but they didn’t say anything about shooting,” he joked.
Ignatjew was a workhorse between the pipes for Swedish second-division squad Mora last season, seeing action in all but seven of the club’s 52 regular-season games, and adding 12 more in the postseason. He posted a stellar .918 save percentage and racked up four shutouts in those outings.
His performance earned him the title of Swedish Allsvenskan’s top goaltender and landed him as a finalist for the league MVP.
Flames senior goaltending coach Jordan Sigalet saw the talent in Ignatjew while watching video of him in the fall of 2023, then travelled over to Europe in December and hit the ice with him while he trained for a week.
That face-to-face meeting turned out to be a game changer, giving Calgary the edge over other NHL suitors that had reached out to Ignatjew.
“He messaged me and right away, I got a feeling that this is a good guy, he seemed like a guy who cares and you can see that he cares,” said Ignatjew. “I got to know him (when he visited), it was just a gut feeling I got from Siggy and (goalie development coach) MacKenzie (Skapski) also, in talking with him through Zoom, he seems like a great guy.”
Since arriving on this side of the pond, Ignatjew has found camaraderie with defenceman Joni Jurmo, another Flames prospect from Finland.
“I mean, we're both new here,” explained Ignatjew, adding the two have spent time getting to know the city, going sight-seeing, and trying new restaurants. “For both of us to have another Finnish guy, we can speak our native language in the locker-room and on a daily basis, so I guess it's a big difference.”
The humble newcomer has high expectations for himself heading into the 2024-25 season.
“I would say it's just proving myself, I'm proving to anyone else that I can play in this league, get the games done, and just be the best version of myself each day and try to do my best in each game,” he said.
“It’s a long dream come true, but there’s still a lot to work for: I just signed, so I need to put the working boots on and show that I’m worth it, to compete in this league,” he added. “Of course, the next step for me is the AHL, so I have to show that I’m good enough for there, then take the next step to the NHL in the future.
“I don't think people have big expectations of me yet, so I'm just excited to get the season started and do the best I can.”
Goalies are known to have their superstitions, so we had to ask Ignatjew if he has any interesting quirks.
His edge, he said, comes from having a quesadilla the day before a game.
“Just chicken, cheese, sometimes onions. Whatever I feel like,” he smiled.
