SALT LAKE CITY – All parties, from Dan Bylsma to Vince Dunn to Kraken goalie prospect Victor Ostman himself, agreed the 24-year-old Swedish goaltender’s NHL debut materialized in less than ideal circumstances Tuesday night. But, my oh my, what an outing it turned out to be. Let’s allow ourselves to focus on Ostman’s 20 minutes in an NHL net.
It's postgame Tuesday night and Ostman is standing at a locker in the visitor's locker room. He is tall and formidable, just like he was in the third period against Utah, closing off any more goals in what finished as a 7-1 final score. He made a dozen saves, including five high-danger chances per Natural Stat Trick. Four of those difficult shots came in early minutes.
“I definitely had to pinch my arm,” said Ostman, when asked if there was any time during the third period in which he allowed a moment of amazement about standing in an NHL crease during a regular season game. “I was skating around in between whistles and just seeing the crowd, it was a pretty surreal feeling.”
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn was impressed and admiring in the post-game interview on Kraken Hockey Network with on-air personality and colleague Piper Shaw: “Amazing, he held his own very well back. It can be uncomfortable, especially with the flow of the game he came into. I’m so happy for him. It’s great for his confidence and a good look from a management standpoint.”
True story. The Kraken have used three different goalie prospects in games this season, all making their NHL debuts. Ostman started the season with ECHL affiliate Kansas City, posting a 21-7-4 record with ECHL Kansas City this season before moving up to AHL Coachella Valley when Ales Stezka was injured. He’s 2-1-1 with a shutout and a .927 save percentage in the Firebirds net.
‘He got challenged,” said SEA coach Dan Bylsma post-game. “He made three or four really good saves and looked really solid in that first NHL experience. It was a good one for him.”
Stezka made 19 saves in his NHL debut at Tampa Bay in 4-1 loss that Bylsma said “felt like more of a closer game than the 4-1 final it ended up being” and that “Stez had several good saves in the match, his glove was good, looked comfortable in there, and gave us every chance to win the game,”
The third goalkeeper in the Kraken system, Finnish native Nikke Kakko, has starred for Coachella Valley this season, progressing to a No. 1 goalie workload as the AHL season unfolded. His 19-9-1 record leads rookie goalies, which also ranks as a top-six stat for all AHL goaltenders, plus top 10 numbers for save percentage (.912) and goals-against-average (2.28). He made a relief appearance in late February at St. Louis.
