And that’s wrong. With such stellar accomplishments, Wallstedt plays a great game enriched with plenty of skill. Finland (3-0-0-0) 3. The A-rated players to watch on the International side include center Aatu Raty (6-1, 177) of Karpat in Liiga and goalie Jesper Wallstedt (6-2, 214) of Lulea in the Swedish Hockey League. His puck tracking plus his agility and flexibility makes it hard to get a puck past him on a backdoor passing play in front. Undersized center Marat Khusnutdinov contributed with a perfect screen on the Swedish goalie. report. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea (SHL) Whereas this class has been known as the “draft of the defender,” don’t sleep on this 12 months’s goaltenders. In the unlikely event that Alnefelt stumbles, Sweden can turn to 2021-eligible goalie Jesper Wallstedt. Two goaltenders have risen to a status that hasn’t been seen since Carey Price and Marc-Andre Fleury. The showdown of the goalies. While flashy, high scoring forwards are often heavily covered and well known. Jesper Wallstedt, G, 6’3″, 214 lbs. Vasilevskiy serves as a pretty good comparison to Askarov as they’ve so far taken the path towards the NHL. At the U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Askarov was Russia’s starter as a 16-year-old at the tournament, a year younger than most. Afanasyev (NSH) with the goal. On October 7th, 2006 at 15 years, 9 months and 19 days old, Victor Hedman became the youngest goal scorer in SuperElit history. Again, the defenders left an opponent alone in the crease. Ultimately, in an era where teams are reluctant to select goaltenders in the first round, this is what it takes to achieve just that. ... past Yaroslav Askarov to make it 1-1. This made him the youngest player ever to play in the SuperElit league. Wallstedt is a big fan of using the RVH. Both of them though can take over the game. Laval falls in the first of a home-and-home series with the Marlies. Even in a scramble, he can cut down the angle and nullify any change. He is currently in his draft -1 year as he is eligible to be selected in 2020. Once he realizes that he passes the puck up to the winger and seconds later Russia scores. Simply put, Wallstedt is not Askarov or Knight in that area. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Jesper Wallstedt, 2002-11-14 Västerås, SWE Sweden. The puck slowly moved back across the line, while the Russian netminder got down like a turtle on his back in an unsuccessful attempt to block. Despite this, Askarov was the top performer of all goaltenders at the tournament. Montreal Canadiens Acquire Gustav Olofsson From Minnesota Wild, Owen Sound Attack 3-4-0-0, Suzuki and Durzi Both Return, Remaining NHL Prospects Watch. Jesper Wallstedt should be discussed in the exact same light. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. The goaltenders of the future tend to fly under the radar. Wallstedt, leading that charge, has taken on a starting role in the SHL and is putting up some of the best numbers in the league. Sweden. Have yourself game, Kirill Kirsanov! He’s already one of the best in the SHL. In one of those games, Wallstedt faced off against the stacked Canadian team. You can see him using it at the end of the clip we saw earlier. 1-0 Russia. The Luleå HF netminder picked up his eighth win of … When Sweden decided to give draft eligible Jesper Wallstedt his first start of his World Juniors career, all goaltender lovers must have began to salivate. Goalie. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Yaroslav Askarov, 2002-06-16 Omsk, RUS Russia. With Askarov, we can compare him to an amazing and established goaltender like Andrei Vasilevskiy, but with Wallstedt there is no comparison. As a 15-year-old, this slightly below average performance is rather impressive to say the least. He is not “as” quick up and down or side-to-side as many high-end goalie talents, though he compensates for this heavily with his skating and lower-body strength, especially going laterally where he can push off the post. #WorldJuniors @Trekronorse @russiahockey pic.twitter.com/V6u1S9Fxhc. This tutorial is a part of the Creating Missing NHL 20 Players series. After a lethargic game on Thursday, the Habs need to bounce back tonight. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. In terms of his actual play in net, there isn’t a lot to pick apart about his game. If Alnefelt happens to falter, Sweden has a very talented and reliable option backing him up in draft-eligible Jesper Wallstedt. pic.twitter.com/ckguUZ1aAI. Jesper Wallstedt and Yaroslav Askarov have each become phenoms in their respective countries of Sweden and Russia. His save selection and form is stellar for such a young goaltender and very well displays his maturity. Sort by. This looks like an average save, but for 15 y/o in Jesper Wallstedt this is very impressive. He had a .913 Sv% at the tournament and it would’ve been much higher if it wasn’t for a one tough game against the Americans. Yaroslav Askarov is poised to join other Russian goaltenders taken in the first round like Ilya Samsonov and Andrei Vasilevskiy. They continued to grind and play an inspired offensive game while Sweden had problems getting anything going. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Wallstedt was out of position and Amirov tapped it home. Costmar continued to be a threat for the Russians, both as an annoying pest and by being dangerous around the net. This is because Wallstedt broke an even greater and more interesting record. But Wallstedt has been setting records and dropping jaws long before the Hlinka or U18s. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Sweden Wallstedt is set to be the third goalie in three years to go in the top half of the first round. Calle Clang is no Jesper Wallstedt - the class of 2021's answer to Askarov - but he's fared well to date in the Swedish junior ranks. In today’s links, wondering if the Habs have the best defender duo in the division, an update on Ben Chiarot, and more on the logistics of the NHL Entry Draft and Trade Deadline. Wallstedt plays with a butterfly style and excels at tracking the puck. This usually works for him as he’s good at sealing the ice and also has a powerful toe push. He often stands up tall when the puck is in his zone and then gets really low when there is a shot is coming his way. Another star-goalie on the rise. This time, on the other side of the ice. Mikhail Abramov (TOR) with a beautiful assist. He prefers to make saves on his knees and stays down if the puck stays close to the net. NJD - NHL. 17 comments. Germany (1-1-0-2) 4. He’s not that flashy, but his style is based on good positioning. Wallstedt was born in November of 2002, making him ineligible until the 2021 NHL Draft. Posted by 2 hours ago. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/2E9XBMe8Ip. Both goaltenders are considered generational talents and the clear positional leaders of their respective draft classes. pic.twitter.com/0bEChE06vR. Every save Wallstedt makes is perfectly executed and well thought out. A lot of people connecting this type of saves to saves above average or to saves against scoring chances. Usually, 16-year-old’s wouldn’t be able to play in the MHL as most are put into the Russian U17 league. Russia comes out on top in a thriller which ends in the last shivering seconds of overtime. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea (SHL) ... with his poise put him in a class with Panthers prospect Spencer Knight and Predators future netminder Yaroslav Askarov. There is very little to criticize Askarov about. Another important quality for Askarov is his great puck tracking. While Askarov projects out as an amazing player, Jesper Wallstedt is something else. Required fields are marked *. Russia can now look forward to a couple of days off, as they are through to the quarter finals. This sometimes comes off as lazy, but also is a little risky if he doesn’t anticipate a shot. Close. He now leads the league in sv%, & GAA. Jake Oettinger in 2017, Spencer Knight in 2019, Yaroslav Askarov in 2020 and Jesper Wallstedt in 2021. He’s got solid size at about 6’3” (190cm), but at 16 it’s likely he’s still growing and developing. His most noticeable quality is his size. Wallstedt’s vision of the ice is another positive quality for the youngster. 1 month ago. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/QmjnIGgVUG, Another example of Askarov’s puck tracking as he follows a back door pass and then an immediate pass to the slot. Signing depth is great, unless you fail to take advantage of it in key situations. As highly touted as Spencer Knight (FLA, 2019) and Yaroslav Askarov (NAS, 2020) were leading up to their respective drafts, Wallstedt may be the best of the bunch. Wallstedt and Askarov, who are only about five months apart in age, have followed remarkably similar paths in their development and the level of competition they’ve performed at. Complete player biography and stats. He can read the play and make just the right move every time. 31 of the 51 shots against Wallstedt at World Juniors were in scoring chances. Askarov and Wallstedt in back to back years is insane. When Sweden decided to give draft eligible Jesper Wallstedt his first start of his World Juniors career, all goaltender lovers must have began to salivate. Vancouver Canucks seventh-rounder Arvid Costmar took advantage of the opportunity and whipped it through Askarov and in. After challenging the Swedish goaltender a couple of times, draft eligible defenceman Kirill Kirsanov delivered a rocket from the left which went in off the post. Not only did Wallstedt play in that league, but he dominated. Askarov plays a very strong mental game on top of everything else. NHL Draft prospect rankings: Luke Hughes, Jesper Wallstedt headline the top 32 of 2021 class Posted By: Marie Maynes February 10, 2021 The hockey season is still young, but that hasn’t stopped eyes drifting to the offseason and the 2021 NHL Draft. If it wasn’t for Wallstedt playing a very solid first period, Russia may have had a bigger lead. Soon, the two of them will become phenoms here in North America too. November 14th 2002 (18) Position. Amirov (TOR) with the assist. As the 2018 draft class moved out of eligibility for the U18 tournaments, Wallstedt was handed the backup spot behind 2019 prospect Hugo Alnefelt. Oh yes, come to mama. 25. In the end, the referres stuck to their initial call. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. In both years, Vasilevskiy had a lot of success in the MHL. Internationally, Vasilevskiy has been a star for Russia since he was 15. Jesper Wallstedt holds the flag as high as Askarov did this prior year. While as the third string Wallstedt didn’t get any games, even being named to the roster and practicing with the Swedish team is just ridiculous on its own. During the middle of the third period, goalscorer Holtz went to the box for a hooking in front of the own net, giving Russia their second attempt of the night playing one man up. He’s 6’3”, and as a November 2002 birthday he’s an older prospect — only 6 months younger than Askarov. Askar Saypulaevich Askarov is a Russian mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. Sweden goalie Jesper Wallstedt (1) makes a save as United States' Alex Turcotte (15) and Sweden's Philip Broberg (5) try for the rebound during the third period of an IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship game Thursday, Dec. 31, 2020, in Edmonton, Alberta.