After a plethora of previews focused on young defensemen and forwards who will be selected in Friday’s NHL Entry Draft, let’s now turn our attention to goaltending.
As mentioned by MayorsManor editor John Hoven earlier today, Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt is in consideration for the Kings No. 8 pick. This is a departure from LA’s more usual approach, where they focus on the position in mid-to-late rounds. Why the change? Simply put, the Swedish goalie is an outlier. Few players at his position come along where the skill set and potential is vastly superior to others within the same age group.
How many other players are the Kings evaluating for their first round selection and which one do we think they’ll end up taking? More on that tomorrow when Hoven publishes his annual LA Kings Draft Predictions article.
For now, let’s just focus on who Wallstedt is and why he’s expected to be a Top 10 pick this year.
JESPER WALLSTEDT
Vitals
Date of Birth: November 14, 2002
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 214 lbs
Catches: Left
Position: Goaltender
2020-21 Season
Wallstedt spent most of the 2020-21 season playing for Luleå HF in Sweden’s top league, the SHL. He went 12-10-0, with a 2.23 GAA and .908 SV%, along with two shutouts in 22 games.
Two-Timer
The Hlinka Gretzky Tournament typically occurs prior to the season’s start, and it gives Draft-eligible players a stage to compete against their peers, setting a tone for their upcoming status. The rangy goaltender participated in this tournament twice: once as an under-ager in 2018 and then again in 2019. He won silver and bronze, respectively.
That Darn, Medal-ing Kid
Wallstedt’s international resume continues. Again, as an under-age player, he won bronze and gold during the U-18 tournaments in 2018 and 2019.
Some Simple, Raw Numbers
One thing to keep in mind is this 18-year-old netminder is playing in one of the world’s top professional leagues. That said, his numbers look very good, as he sat fourth overall among all SHL goalies with a 2.23 GAA. His save percentage ranks a bit differently, however, placing him 13th.
While .908 SV% doesn’t seem impressive, a bit of context is important. From February 20 to April 19, Wallstedt only manned the net four times. One of those occurrences was to sub in during the playoffs. His final two regular season games saw the puck pass him nine times on 39 shots. Before that rut, his save percentage of .919 would have also been top-five among goalies.
Not that statistics should ever be thrown out to prove one point or another – just, with such a small sample size in 2021, the overall numbers took a late hit due to a couple bad games.
Rankings by Independent Scouting Services
Ranked 13th by The Draft Analyst. “It was fun while it lasted, but teams are beginning to buck the trend of bypassing goalies until at least the second round of the draft. Wallstedt should make it three straight years that a backstop was taken within the first 30 or so picks, and for good reason — he outgrew junior hockey several years ago and at 18 years old was one of the better backups in the SHL.”
Ranked eleventh by The Hockey News. “At home in Sweden this season, Wallstedt played starter’s minutes for Lulea, leading the team in games and wins while helping the squad to a fifth-place finish in the SHL. There is a comfort in his archetypal game. ‘He’s got that prototypical modern goalie build,’ said a scout. ‘He’s a big guy who moves well and has a lot of upside.’”
Ranked sixth by Elite Prospects. “Overall, though, Wallstedt remains the best goaltender in the class for a reason. He put up commendable numbers in one of Europe’s best men’s leagues and played lights out in limited action for Sweden at the World Juniors. You’re looking at someone with the potential to be a top-10 starter in the NHL with a little time”
See For Yourself
Here is a shift-by-shift video of Wallstedt (No. 1 in red) from earlier this year.
Final Comments
Wallstedt carries a very impressive resume, has experience playing against men, and Los Angeles doesn’t have a ‘big name’ on their current Goaltending Depth Chart. Additionally, the four starters in the recent Stanley Cup quarter-finals were all first round picks. At a glance, it may first appear like LA GM Rob Blake should swipe right. Yet, selecting him at eight, would put Wallstedt as the first goaltender taken in the top-10 since Carey Price in 2005.
There are certainly reasons why teams usually hesitate to pull the trigger on a goaltender with a high pick. For starters — and not to be understated — goalies typically take the longest to develop and are the hardest to gauge. So much of their growth is between the ears, which often comes with age and experience. Whether it’s improving focus or tracking the puck, netminders inherently are more projects than simply players on a linear growth path. Jonathan Quick and Cal Petersen, for comparison, were picked in the third and fifth rounds, respectively. Quick didn’t get regular time until the age of 22 and Petersen until he was 24. Potentially waiting half a decade for a top pick to get regular NHL time can be both a major commitment and risk. Of course, the performance of Spencer Knight for Florida may buck that trend, even if he’s more the exception than the rule.
Just as important, teams have to hit when goaltenders are picked this high. Forwards selected in the top 15 may not pan out as originally projected, but can usually still salvage an NHL career as a bottom-six player. A defenseman can still contribute regularly on the bottom-pairing and get limited ice time. With a goalie, they either usurp the throne or ride the pine. There is virtually no room for error.
Circling back to Los Angeles, solid players in net remain in the system, as discussed here. Several netminders of varying age, experience, and development are growing to move up in the pipeline. A player of Wallstedt’s caliber would leapfrog all of them and rocket him to the top of the rankings – yet there’s no urgent need to replenish this position. Either a prospect already in the system grows into the backup role to Petersen in the coming years, or one gets signed via free agency. One thing is certain, however – the Kings have a tendency to churn out NHL-caliber goalies year after year, supported by longtime goaltending coach Bill Ranford and his staff.
Where does this leave Wallstedt with Los Angeles? He’s in the mix and his talent is undeniable. Will it be enough to convince Blake and Mark Yannetti to say his name on Friday? We’ll find out soon enough.
NOTE: David Hofreiter was the lead contributor in the gathering of information used in this article. You can find him on Twitter @Davidenkness to talk more hockey.
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