After watching the dismal start this year with the Minnesota Wild, many are looking forward to bringing up our future Wild star, Jesper Walstedt. The organization has hesitated to bring him up from Iowa too soon and let him develop. The Wild also have a first-ballot Hockey Hall of Fame goalie in Marc-Andre Fleury, but Gustafson being injured right now gives Jesper a chance to stretch his legs and get in the net.
Jesper Walstedt was drafted by the Wild 20th overall in the 2021 NHL entry draft. He played with Team Sweden in the 2022 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship, receiving both the bronze medals and being named the tournament's top goaltender. He made the move to North America for the 22-23 season and started making waves with the Iowa Wild. He ended the season with 999 saves in 38 games and a .908 SV%. This year, he is posting a .932 SV% and 2.01 goals against average. He has become a fan favorite by not only getting a “goalie goal” last season but also participating in “the Wave” during the AHL All-Star game.
Now, the fun part: I did a little question-answer with his parents to see what it’s like to raise a goalie with such confidence and poise.
Jeppe, as his family and friends call him, started as a bandy player, both as a goalie and skater, until U13. He put in 2 sessions a day so that he could do both. During the 14-15 season, he was the goalie for Väsrteras IK and played as a D man in Hallstahammer HK. His dad, Jonas, wanted him to become a skater because he was a great D-man and averaged 2 goals a game. Plus, they already had a goalie in the family. Jesper would tell them, “it didn’t matter what you think. I can be a skater now, but when I grow up, I will be a goalie.” Since his all-time favorite hockey player is Henrik Lundqvist, this didn’t really surprise them.
When asked about the amazing self confidence that Jesper has on and off the ice….
I’m going to directly quote this:
Jonas: “The thing is, Jesper was born with self-confidence somehow. When he went to kindergarten at the age of four, he told the teacher that he was going to play soccer this weekend and that he was going to be in goal. The teacher asked him if he ever had been a goalie. Jesper answered, "No, but I know how to do it!". It was so typical of him as a child. He could do everything and was pretty good at a lot because of his confidence and the fact that he was very early in his motor skills.” It is not something you can teach, they said. Encouragement on the positives and they never said, “don’t do that” and tried to say “try doing this.” These kids get enough criticism that with too much negativity, you can break down a kid’s self-confidence.
Jonas also helped Jesper set both the big goals for the future and then broke those down into smaller goals that would build into the big goal, the NHL. Breaking them down into smaller goals that could be reached sooner and building on those to the next goal. Starting with what goals he set for a game, with a training session, a week, a month and out of the season. Jonas emphasized that so many kids who play hockey only see the NHL, and few make it. That if you set realistic smaller goals for them to work on they will develop that self-confidence needed to move forward with their play.
It didn’t matter what you think. I can be a skater now, but when I grow up, I will be a goalie. - Jesper Wallstedt
As parents of a young player, it does involve a positive attitude and commitment. They have been motivators, drivers, the cheering section, and not to mention buying all the equipment. Jonas stated, “It’s very important that the children feel 100 percent support from their parents. It was one of the common denominators when a study was done on why Lidström, Forsberg, Näslund and Sundin managed to become among the best in the world, very committed parents.” Jesper also did 3-4 goaltender camps each summer. Each one provided him with different techniques and allowed him to find out his personal style.
When Jesper was 15, he moved to Luleá into his own apartment. It was his choice because of the goalie coach there. He was excited to train with one of the best goalie coaches in Sweden, Linda Blomkvist. This was about 900 Kilometers (or 560 miles) from his home, but he knew it was worth it because Blomkvist worked with each kid as an individual, and not all goalies had the same mentality. It was a tough adjustment because Jesper had to grow up quickly. Learning to do your own cooking, keeping up with studies, keeping his apartment clean, and being a teenager isn’t the easiest. After about 6 months away from home, he did have a horrible bout of homesickness, but he never wanted to move back home. His parents say “he’s a fighter”.
I asked if they always knew he was going to play in the NHL…
When Jesper was 13 years old, he played U18, and when he was 14, he played in the U20 for the 17-18 season. Victor Hedman was previously the youngest player to play U20 SuperElit league, now the Nationell. Not only is Jesper the youngest player that was in the league but he also won the goalie SVS% and GAA against kids 4-5 years older. So, they realized at 15 it was probably going to be a reality. (He also is the youngest scorer ever in the Swedish U20 SuperElit league at 14 years 11 months…as a goalie!)
From getting on the ski slope when he was only 1 ½ years old to starting in the net for the Minnesota Wild at 21, this kid has a bright future, and I will be watching him every second!!! There is so much more that I will probably do a part 2 on this. But I have to say I am excited to see what the future has in store for this amazing young man.