Did the Minnesota Wild land dream goalie in Jesper Wallstedt?

This past weekend was the second time that Judd Brackett and Bill Guerin, the Minnesota Wild’s director of amateur scouting and general manager, respectively,  were at the helm of the team’s NHL Draft operations. They seem to have done quite a solid job once again, selecting Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt 20th overall.

It is the first time in franchise history that the Wild drafted a goalie in the first round.

Without a doubt, his experience playing professional hockey as an18-year-old is what made him stand out from the pack. He played quite well, posting a 2.23 GAA and a .908 SV%, along with 2 shutouts in 22 games for Lulea HF of the SHL.

Many were aware of the Wild’s desperate need to add a top-end goaltending prospect to the pipeline due to both the age of 34-year-old Cam Talbot and questions about Kaapo Kahkonen’s ability to be a  legitimate No. 1 netminder in the NHL. Hunter Jones also struggled out of the gate to begin his professional career in Iowa.

The Wild were likely hoping that either the highly-touted Wallstedt or the tall, athletic Sebastian Cossa would fall to them at No. 22. However, they were prepared to move up in the order if that was what they needed to do to get their guy.

With Detroit moving up to take Cossa at No. 15, that only left Wallstedt on the board with six more teams picking in front of them. So,  Guerin picked up the phone and completed a trade with Edmonton to move up two spots.

There is a lot to like about the young Swedish goaltender, and the scouting staff sure seems happy to have him in the organization.

Brackett said about Wallstedt after the selection:

"Really advanced technical goaltender with lots of experience playing against men, playing internationally. He’s played lots of hockey in terms of high-level hockey which is something we look for in goalies. It’s a good indicator of their future success."

Interestingly enough, when the Wild signed Talbot last offseason, they knew they were getting a goalie that brought a calming presence to the team with his controlled style of play.

Wallstedt, is also known for his calm demeanor and technically-sound game. He closely mirrors what the Wild have in Talbot.

The hope is that by adding  Wallstedt to the system, he becomes the true No. 1  goaltender of the future.