It’s Officially Time To Declare Jesper Wallstedt Elite

Image courtesy of Rob Gray-Imagn Images By Tony Abbott - 1 hour ago Nothing tempts the wrath of the Hockey Gods more than a great goalie doing his thing. The most important position on the ice is also the game's most volatile, and a goalie's stock can rise and fall in an instant. John Gibson looks like a Hall of Famer at age-25, then spends the next phase of his career as a below-average goalie. Matt Murray wins two Stanley Cups for the Pittsburgh Penguins at age-22, then becomes a nearly unplayable journeyman. Goalies are voodoo , so they say. This is all to say, who knows what will happen to Jesper Wallstedt going forward? He's had some voodoo turns of his own, completely collapsing in the AHL during the 2024-25 season before breaking out last season. This year, he's flying even closer to the sun, and we have no idea whether his wings will melt. All we can go on is what we've seen from Wallstedt's 50 starts, and judging by them, it's safe to say that the Wild have an elite goaltender on their hands. We're not saying it lightly, and we're not basing this purely on Wallstedt's start, as incredible as it's been. While The Great Wall of St. Paul is excelling under the NHL's largest workload right now, 17 starts is a small sample size for goalies. But it shows last season was no fluke. After dominating with a .916 save percentage last year, Wallstedt is now third in the NHL with a .925 mark. He's done that while logging 1,024 minutes, which is 157 more than second-place Mackenzie Blackwood . But going back to the start of last year, Wallstedt now has 50 starts, about the length of a full season for a No. 1 goaltender. It's not a foolproof sample size, but it's big enough, and it is stellar. Here's where Wallstedt ranks among the 73 goalies who've seen 500-plus unblocked shot attempts during that time. Save Percentage: First (.918) 5-on-5 Save Percentage: First (.928) Quality Start Percentage: First (76.0%, per Stathead ) Shorthanded Save Percentage: Third (.901) Standings Points Above Replacement: Third (13.7) Goals Saved Above Expected: Sixth (33.5) High-Danger Save Percentage: Eighth (.844, per Natural Stat Trick ) These results weren't enough to grab the league's attention last year, given that Wallstedt spent most of the year as the 1B to Filip Gustavsson . That won't be the case this year. Wallstedt has seized control of the net with Gustavsson out and will likely continue starting most games even as the Wild's other goalie returns. According to an informal poll of PWHA writers, Wallstedt is the early favorite to win the Vezina Trophy, and there's little reason to dispute it. It's hard to beat a combination of top-tier stats and piling up wins, which Wallstedt has. Leading the league with 12 wins still has a lot of sway, and the strength of the Wild's skaters means that shouldn't slow down too much. Wallstedt passes the eye test, which, to be fair, almost any hot goalie does. But maybe an important test is how opposing coaches talk about him. Earlier this month, Washington Capitals coach Spencer Carbery called him the " real deal ." Edmonton Oilers coach Mike Babcock made a point to say Wallstedt was "Spectacular. I mean, absolutely spectacular." And that's nothing compared to the confidence his teammates have in him. In the same article as Carberry praised Wallstedt, Michael McCarron added, "He's a stud.... He’s always ready to go. He always seems to make the big save for us, and it’s huge throughout the course of a game." Again, the sample size is still relatively small, and the Hockey Gods are capricious, but the evidence is becoming overwhelming. Wallstedt has played his way into elite territory and is becoming a fourth star that the Wild can put on the same mantle as Kirill Kaprizov , Matt Boldy , and Quinn Hughes . He's making just as much of an impact as those players and is every bit as much a reason to believe the Wild can make a Stanley Cup run. By Tony Abbott Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form . minnesota wild nhl jesper wallstedt 1