Jesper Wallstedt overcomes crippling self-doubt, transforming into a confident presence. His remarkable mental and on-ice turnaround earns him the Wild's prestigious Masterton nomination.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — For Jesper Wallstedt, this season has been about far more than just wins and saves. It’s been about proving to himself that he could come back and be that goalie everyone thought he could be.
On Wednesday, that journey was recognized as Wallstedt was named the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee for the Minnesota Wild.
A year ago, things felt off.
He went 0-2-0 in two NHL starts with a 4.09 goals-against average and a .843 save percentage. Wallstedt was 9-14-4 in the AHL last year with a 3.59 goals-against average and a .879 save percentage.
When Marc-André Fleury stepped away, there was always going to be a transition. That’s not something you replace overnight, and it’s not something one player is expected to fully replicate.
But Wallstedt has stepped into that space in his own way, even after all the critisim that he wouldnt be ready to be a backup this season.
Safe to say he's actually proved he could be a starter, not just a backup.
Wallstedt, 23, is 17-8-6 on the season with a 2.65 goals-against average and a .915 save percentage in 33 games.
Wallstedt said he never felt like it was truly his game, even when parts of it looked right. The confidence wasn’t there, and for a goaltender, that’s everything. When it slips, it doesn’t matter how good the reads are or how clean the technique looks; it shows up in the saves that don’t get made.
"I think also that just okay, I can trust myself and, compared to the year before, I can control my emotions and my mental state where I'm at. Even though the game isn't going where maybe I want to, I kind of learned that I got better at focusing on what I can control. And I think I controlled myself better, and in that way, it kind of just snowballed and build up the mental side, which is almost everything as a goalie."
This season, that changed. Not all at once, but gradually.
There wasn’t some dramatic turning point where everything flipped. It was smaller than that. A moment early in the year where things almost went sideways but it didn’t.
He pointed to his first start of the season. The Wild jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Then it unraveled quickly. Suddenly, it was tied. What could’ve been a feel-good return started heading the other direction.
"I think it all started with the LA game, the first game of the season that I played. I think just when we were up 3-nothing going into the third, kind of seeing that, okay, you kind of go ahead a little bit and you're like, ‘Well, I might have a shutout in my first game.’ And then you give up three and you’re like, ‘Oh, I might lose my first game.’ And then you go through that, and then you obviously get the win. All the emotions come out. And that's kind of where I (was like), ‘Okay, I can be myself again,’ or, ‘this is me.’ I kind of got to show that with my personality in that win as well. And I think I kind of could let loose a little bit after that. Then obviously had that run in November where everything was just clicking for me and for the team. We were playing so good, and especially defensively, where we just shut everything down. And obviously, that builds confidence into where we're at now. And this year, I just felt like it flew by, and it's been a lot of fun."
By November, everything started to come together. The Wild were defending well, limiting chances, and Wallstedt was playing with a level of control that had been missing the year before. It wasn’t just about stopping pucks, it was about how he carried himself in net.
Wallstedt leaned heavily into the mental side of the position this season, something he admitted became unavoidable after what he went through. Working with a sports psychologist helped, but more than anything, it gave him perspective on how to handle both ends of the spectrum. When things are going well and when they aren’t.
Because that’s the trap.
"When everything is going your way, you’re kind of just riding that wave of success. You don't want to switch much. You want to keep the same gear. You want to keep the same routines. You want to do everything the way you do because you're having success, right? But then as soon as you're going through adversity, you want to change everything. So I think it's pretty cool in some way how different it could be. And I think being very good at succeeding, but also open to trying new stuff and switching stuff is good for you.
"At the same time, when you're struggling, don't switch too much and change too much just because you want to get back to success. And I think finding something in between there and also everyone's different. It's super easy to just get caught up in yourself. I think that's where it's good to talk to someone that has a different perspective. And for me, it's someone that I've been close with, but just maybe hasn't used as much up until the point where now I need a little more, and then it has definitely helped."
For Wallstedt, the key was finding the middle. To not overreact when things go wrong but also not to get too comfortable when they go right.
That balance has carried him through this season and it’s a big reason he’s in this position now.
The Masterton nomination doesn’t come from numbers. It comes from what a player goes through to get here and Wallstedt went through it. From fans to trade rumors to everything in between. Wallstedt heard it all.
There was a full year where nothing quite clicked, where the confidence wasn’t there and the results followed. And for a young goaltender, especially one with expectations attached, that can spiral quickly.
But Wallstedt learned how to manage expectations, especially his own. He learned how to control his emotions in-game. He learned that confidence isn’t something you wait for, it’s something you build back piece by piece. He even went to a sports psychologist and still talks to them today.
"I'm always going to be the one to have the highest expectations on myself. It doesn't matter what media or anyone else in the organization expects from me, I'm going to be the one that puts the highest expectations on myself to succeed and live up to the potential I know I can be at," Wallstedt said. "I think more so when you go through that, you kind of live and learn a lot by yourself or about yourself as well. And I think I've been better at controlling that and being able to control my emotions."
That’s been one of the biggest differences this year. The approach hasn’t changed with the results. The same attention to detail, the same mental work, the same willingness to adjust, it’s all still there and it has made for one heck of a goaltending tandem.
Alongside Filip Gustavsson, the Wild have found a rhythm in net. There’s trust there, both ways, and an understanding that it’s going to take both of them heading into the playoffs.
“I think it’s hard. I think if one guy is really hot and succeeding, I think that’s great," Wallstedt said on a goalie rotation for playoffs. "I think you don’t want to switch it up too much if one’s hot I don’t think. Also it’s weird. It’s different. It’s hard for me to say, too. I’ve never been in the Stanley Cup playoffs. So, I don’t know much either. But I guess we’ll see. I think either way we’ll be in good hands.”
The rookie owns a 7-3-3 record against teams currently in a playoff position through games played April 7 and leads the NHL with a .932 save percentage against such teams.
He is 9-3-4 with a 2.46 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and two shutouts in 16 road starts this season as well.
That’s where things get interesting.
Wallstedt hasn’t been in the Stanley Cup Playoffs before. It’s new territory. Unknown, in a lot of ways. But if this season has shown anything, it’s that he’s figured out how to handle that uncertainty better than he did a year ago.
And that’s really what this nomination is about.
"You just don't take this for granted. I enjoy every day I get to spend here and play hockey for a living. I think when you go through the tough times, it's hard to appreciate the lifestyle we're living and the life that we have, because you get so focused up in the results and what you're doing.
"When you’re succeeding, it's such a joy, and being around a team like we have here, that every day and everything is, it's nothing you take for granted when you've been through that stuff. So very, very honored, obviously, for this. It's been quite a turnaround from where I was last year."
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