The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler published his annual goaltender rankings this morning, and has Jesper Wallstedt at #1. Here’s what he had to say:
> Wallstedt’s first NHL start didn’t go the way I’m sure he wanted it to, and he’s had a couple of games like that this season where he has looked, really for the first time in his career, a little human as opposed to the robot he has looked like in the past. His body of work and game still combine to make him arguably the best goalie prospect in the sport for me, though, and it’s also important to contextualize him against his team in Iowa, which is one of the worst teams in the AHL, and against his tandem partner in veteran Zane McIntyre (at the time of writing this, Wallstedt has a winning record and a save percentage just under .910, while McIntyre has struggled just to win games and has played to a save percentage in the .880s).
> His game has real polish and maturity (it’s important to remember that even at 21, and even though this is already his second AHL season, he’s still one of the youngest goalies in the league). There’s just a control and soundness to his game that is rare in goalies his age. He’s also a big 6-foot-3, 214-pound (he fills the net, too) goalie who plays sharp lines positionally, holds those lines and swallows the first shot so that he doesn’t have to make a ton of second saves. He’s incredibly calm in the net, staring down shooters and reading them. He covers the bottom of the net extremely well and doesn’t seem to get beat along the ice. Few shots sneak through him (although there have been some flappable moments this year). His movement is compact, he tracks through layers incredibly well to find pucks, and he reads opposing shooters so well that he’s rarely beaten cleanly.
> There’s a minor question mark or two around every young goalie in the sport and with Wallstedt, I don’t see an obvious hole or area of weakness that worries me. He doesn’t steal games quite like Nashville Predators goalie prospect Yaroslav Askarov, for example, but his consistency in his young career has, to use a cliché, always seemed to give his team a chance to win. I’d maybe like to see him develop a little more quickness (he’s strong across the net and low-to-high on pushes, but he sits a little heavy over his skates and I wouldn’t say his feet are fast per se). But otherwise, he’s got all of the makings of a No. 1 goalie in the NHL and I’d be surprised if he doesn’t become a good 1A at minimum.
The full list is:
1. Wallstedt
2. Yaroslav Askarov, Nashville
3. Jacob Fowler, Montreal
4. Spencer Knight, Florida
5. Devon Levi, Buffalo
6. Dustin Wolf, Calgary
7. Sebastion Cossa, Detroit
8. Trey Augustine, Detroit
9. Adam Gajan, Chicago
10. Drew Commesso, Chicago
11. Michael Hrabal, Arizona
12. Carl Lindblom, Vegas
13. Clay Stevenson, Washington
14. Erik Portillo, Los Angeles
15. Joel Blomqvist, Pittsburgh
Thoughts? The future in net looks bright if Iowa can keep his development on track!
by Radagastdl
1 Comment
LFG