3 Goalies to Watch in the AHL This Season

There are a few exciting goalies to watch in the AHL this season that could be starring for NHL teams in the very near future.

The next wave of elite goalies is coming hockey fans. It’s just a matter of time. The American Hockey League (AHL) is housing three of them this season and soon we will see at least two in the NHL full-time. Here are the masked men you should be keeping tabs on in 2024-25.

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Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild

Jesper Wallstedt has been a blue-chip goaltending prospect for what seems like forever. He was a consensus pick to be the first goaltender off the board in 2021, but somehow went second behind Sebastian Cossa, a choice that will be debated for probably years to come. In fact, when, not if both prospects become mainstays in the NHL, they will forever be compared to each other as they navigate their way through their respective careers.

Jesper Wallstedt (Jenae Anderson / The Hockey Writers)

Before coming to North America, Wallstedt was a star in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), posting a 1.98 goals-against average (GAA), .918 save percentage and three shutouts. He also led Sweden to a bronze medal at the 2022 World Juniors, where he was named the Best Goaltender after a 1.62 GAA and .940 SV% performance.

Wallstedt was clearly ready for the next step in his development, so he decided to transition to the AHL for the 2022-23 season. He joined the Iowa Wild and split time with veteran Zane McIntyre, appearing in 38 games and finishing with a 2.68 GAA and .908 SV%. He also scored a goal, becoming only the 19th goaltender in AHL history to have a tally in the goal column on his resume.

After that impressive debut season in pro hockey, Wallstedt was given more starts last season, appearing in 45 games - the most he’s ever played in his hockey career. Before that, 28 games was the most he had started, back in the 2019-20 season when he was with Lulea HF J20 in the J20 SuperElit league.

With how well Wallstedt was doing in the AHL, it was only a matter of time before the NHL came calling. His chance came on Jan. 10, 2024, with the Wild facing the Dallas Stars in Dallas. Unfortunately, his team had one of its worst outings of the season, hanging him out to dry to the tune of 34 shots and 10 high-danger chances. As a result, he allowed seven goals and finished with an abysmal .794 SV%.

Despite the horrific performance, Wallstedt got into the record books, becoming the youngest goaltender in Wild history to make his NHL debut. Fortunately, he got a chance to redeem himself later in the season when he came up for a couple of games in April. This time, it went much better, as he got his first career shutout on April 17 against the Chicago Blackhawks, again inking his name in the record books as the youngest to do so in franchise history.