MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS GOALTENDER JESPER WALLSTEDT TO TWO-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION
Oct 7, 2024SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed goaltender Jesper Wallstedt to a two-year, $4.4 million contract extension ($2.2 million average annual value) that begins in the 2025-26 season and goes through the 2026-27 season.
Wallstedt, 21 (11/14/02), made three starts for Minnesota during the 2023-24 season, posting a 2-1-0 record with a 3.01 goals-against average (GAA) and a .897 save percentage (SV%). The 6-foot-3, 214-pound native of Vasteras, Sweden, recorded his first career NHL shutout and win at Chicago on April 7, stopping all 24 shots faced in the 4-0 victory. He made his NHL debut at Dallas on Jan. 10, 2024. Wallstedt also went 22-19-6 with a 2.70 GAA, .910 SV% and two shutouts in 45 games with the Iowa Wild during the 2023-24 American Hockey League (AHL) season. Wallstedt was twice named Howie’s Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week during the 2023-24 campaign, earning the honor for the week ending Nov. 5 after going 2-0-0 with a .950 SV% in two starts and again for the week ending Dec. 3 after going 2-0-0 with a 1.50 GAA and .965 SV% in two starts.
For his career, Wallstedt is 40-34-12 with a 2.69 GAA, .909 SV% and three shutouts in 83 games played over two seasons with Iowa (2022-24). He ranked fourth among AHL rookie goaltenders with a 2.68 GAA, T-4th with 18 wins and fifth with a .908 SV% in the 2022-23 season. Wallstedt earned AHL goaltender of the Month honors in January of 2023 and represented Iowa at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic.
Wallstedt has also represented Sweden in multiple international tournaments, including the 2022 (bronze medal), 2021 IIHF World Junior Championships and the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He also served as the third goaltender for Sweden at the 2024 IIHF World Championships. Wallstedt went 11-8-3 with a 2.23 GAA, a .907 SV% and two shutouts in 22 games with Lulea in 2020-21 and ranked fourth in the Swedish Elite League in GAA.
Originally selected by the Wild in the first round (20th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Wallstedt wears sweater No. 30 with Minnesota.
The Iowa Wild open the 2024-25 regular season against the Manitoba Moose at Wells Fargo Arena on Saturday, Oct. 12 at 6 p.m.
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