The Minnesota Wild announced that they have recalled goalie Jepser Wallstedt from the Iowa Wild to make his NHL debut. He will be backing up Marc-Andre Fleury during the Minnesota Wild game against the Dallas Stars at home on Monday night. Zane McIntyre has been reassigned to the Iowa Wild. Wallstedt wears sweater number 30 both in Iowa and Minnesota. Filip Gustavsson is still injured with an unknown return date.
Wallstedt is a highly touted goalie prospect who is currently in his second year with the Iowa Wild. He was selected by the Wild during the 2021 NHL Draft during the first round, 20th overall. This year, Wallstedt has a 2.54 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. He has also tallied two shutouts this season in the AHL. Currently, he is tied for 5th in the AHL for shutouts and tied for 6th in the AHL for wins. He is 11-9-0 this season.
Twice this season, Wallstedt has been named the AHL Player of the Week. The first time was at the beginning of November when he went 2-0-0 with a .950 save percentage. The second time was at the beginning of December when he went 2-0-0 with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .965 save percentage.
Wallstedt was an All-Star last year, representing the Iowa Wild at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. He has also played for Sweden in a few different tournaments. This included the 2021 and 2022 World Juniors Championships, where he won a bronze medal in 2022, and the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
