Wild Goalie Prospect Wallstedt in Net Tonight

Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Minnesota Wild’s highly touted Swedish goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt is set to make his NHL debut tonight in Texas against the Dallas Stars. With Filip Gustavsson still injured, Marc-Andre Fleury has taken on a heavier workload. Once it was announced that Wallstedt was being called up from the Wild’s AHL affiliate, the Iowa Wild, fans were wondering when they would see Wallstedt in the net. 

When Gustavsson first left the ice with an injury, Wallstedt was unfortunately still healing from his injury in Iowa. The Wild first called up Zane McIntyre to back up Fleury until Wallstedt was healed. Wallstedt was called up on Sunday and watched the Wild’s 4-0 loss to the Stars from the bench on Monday. Buzz started right away after Wallstedt’s recall, with fans wondering which game he would start. While Fleury has been playing in top form, it wouldn’t be sustainable for him to start every game until Gustavsson is back. Wallstedt has earned a start, and thankfully, it is coming sooner rather than later.

The 20th overall pick of the 2021 NHL draft, Wallstedt has already spent one full season in the AHL. This season, he’s already been named the AHL Player of the Week twice. The first time was for the week of October 30 to November 5. During two wins for the Iowa Wild, Wallstedt stopped 57 out of 60 shots with a .950 save percentage. He didn’t allow any even-strength goals during this pair of games.

He was once again named AHL Player of the Week for the week of November 27 to December 3. During a pair of road wins, Wallstedt stopped 83 of 86 goals. He ended the week with a 1.50 goals-against average and a .965 save percentage.

For the past two seasons, Fleury has acted as a mentor for both Gustavsson and Wallstedt. After playing for two decades in the NHL, Fleury has plenty of experience to draw on. Asked what advice he gave Wallstedt, he simply told him to “Just go play. Have fun.”

With a handful of impactful players still out for the Wild (including Kirill Kaprizov, Filip Gustavsson, Jonas Brodin, and Jared Spurgeon), putting Wallstedt in the net could be the kick that the Wild need to come back from being shutout by the Stars only two days ago.

The Wild have a few game-time decisions as both Marcus Foligno and Marcus Johansson are sick. The only other roster change is that Alex Goligoski will be in for Daemon Hunt.

After John Hynes took over as Head Coach, the Wild seemed to have turned a corner, winning seven of the first ten games that they played under his direction. However, the Wild have now dropped five of the last eight games that they’ve played, including four straight losses at home. With the all-star coming up in a few weeks, the Wild need to limp to the end of January. With a week off of hockey, hopefully, some of the nagging injuries will be resolved, and the Wild can come back at full strength.

For more Minnesota Wild game recaps and “vibe” commentary, make sure to listen to Her Wild Side Hockey Podcast. Updated multiple times weekly.

Throwing Walleye and Dented Jock Straps Her Wild Side Hockey Podcast

The pod is back! The hockey world has been all a tizzy the past 24 hours, so Mikki is back to discuss. From the fish-tossing debate with the Seattle Kraken and Auston Matthews's mysterious trip to Germany to Nashville's bench minor and Zuccarello's unfortunate injury, there is plenty to talk about.Links:Her Wild Side Merch Shop!Ticketmaster Affiliate LinkSocial Media:TwitterInstagramFacebookFor more from us, visit Inside The RinkHow to support us and our sponsors:Columbia Sports ApparelESPN+ SubscriptionFanaticsDraft Kings – CODE ITR  
  1. Throwing Walleye and Dented Jock Straps
  2. Zuccarello's All-Star Game and the McDavid Wedding
  3. Let's Talk About Brock Faber's Contract Extension
  4. Summer Hockey and Why Minnesota Is the State of Hockey
  5. PWHL Minnesota is a Mess. Can It Be Saved?

Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

ECHL North Division Finals – Game 3 Recap: Trois-Rivieres Lions vs Norfolk Admirals

On Thursday night, the North Division Finals shifted to Norfolk, Virginia. The two teams split the first two games in TR. Norfolk would make a change in net as they went with Domenic DiVicentiis. The 21-year-old goaltender also started Game 3 of the North Division Semifinals, making 29 saves in a win. In game 2 […]

Read More
Mikko Rantanen skating for the Dallas Stars

Opinion: Stars’ Mikko Rantanen Returns to Form At the Right Time

It was clear that Mikko Rantanen was not exactly about being traded by the Colorado Avalanche, the only NHL club he had ever known. It was in Colorado where he spent close to 11 seasons, won a Stanley Cup in 2022, had 681 points (287 goals and 394 assists), and made lifelong friends. That is […]

Read More

Edmonton Oilers Playoff Thoughts: Round 2, Game 2

It takes four wins to advance, but the Edmonton Oilers historically lose almost every Game 1. In their last 15 rounds, including Tuesday night, they’ve won only four series openers. Even in 2006, they only won one Game 1. If you include that Playoff run, just for laughs, the record is 5 Game 1 wins […]

Read More