Another star-goalie on the rise. Overall, Askarov is a butterfly goaltender. From the outside looking in, so far Askarov has done just that. Oh … Khusnutdinov remained alert on an Amirov rebound and with 5,6 seconds left on the clock, Team Russia had ended Sweden’s impossible streak at 54 straight groupstage wins. The goaltender not only scored the empty net goal, but also assisted on VIK Västerås’ first goal of the game. 31 of the 51 shots against Wallstedt at World Juniors were in scoring chances. Mikhail Abramov quickly discovered Yegor Afanasyev in the crease and the latter broke the tie. 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. Group A Standings: 1. Askarov, who can seem a bit jittery at times, put his team on his back here and carried them forward to remain in the game. 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. Costmar continued to be a threat for the Russians, both as an annoying pest and by being dangerous around the net. Yaroslav Askarov is poised to join other Russian goaltenders taken in the first round like Ilya Samsonov and Andrei Vasilevskiy. A lot of people connecting this type of saves to saves above average or to saves against scoring chances. In his draft -1 year, he registered a .936 Sv% as a 16-year-old at the U18 World Juniors. A … This made him the youngest player ever to play in the SuperElit league. While flashy, high scoring forwards are often heavily covered and well known. Similarly to Yaroslav Askarov, who was selected 11th in this year’s NHL Entry Draft, Wallstedt, 17-years-old, is one of the most highly regarded young backstops in the world. In that tournament, players eligible for the draft as early as 2018 were both playing and competing. Putting together Wallstedt’s game and accomplishments paints a picture of a future superstar. His early competition lies in Daniil Chayka of the Guelph Storm, Dylan Guenther, Carson Lambos and Aatu Räty. Instead, the Swedes managed to tie the game with one of their first coordinated offensive outputs of the night. His unbreakable game and staggering accomplishments compared to his predecessors puts him in elite company. pic.twitter.com/0bEChE06vR. In the clip below, Wallstedt uses perfect form to make a great save on Ryan Suzuki. The previous record holder was 2009 2nd overall pick Victor Hedman. 25. Simply put, Wallstedt is not Askarov or Knight in that area. 2021 World Junior Hockey Championship: Russia vs. Sweden — Lineups, start time, and TV schedule New, 6 comments Russia looks to end the preliminary round on top of Group B. share. He currently competes in the Flyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. His success as a goaltender is unprecedented in the history of the game. Askarov and Wallstedt in back to back years is insane. Sweden knots things up 2-2 in the 2nd period with a goal from Alexander Holtz, let's bring on the 3rd! Other smaller aspects of his game are his use of the RVH and vision. In terms of his actual play in net, there isn’t a lot to pick apart about his game. Coming off of their dominant 7-1 win against Austria, Russia will look to win their first set of consecutive games this tournament. 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. Both Askarov and Wallstedt came up strong for their teams and the game looked to be destined for a shootout. Both goaltenders are considered generational talents and the clear positional leaders of their respective draft classes. Team Russia. As the 2018 draft class moved out of eligibility for the U18 tournaments, Wallstedt was handed the backup spot behind 2019 prospect Hugo Alnefelt. Vasilevskiy serves as a pretty good comparison to Askarov as they’ve so far taken the path towards the NHL. This time, there was nothing for the referees to take a further look at and Russia had regained their lead. At 14, he was measured in at 6’3” (190cm) and 204lbs (93kg) and growing. Vancouver Canucks seventh-rounder Arvid Costmar took advantage of the opportunity and whipped it through Askarov and in. Wallstedt was born in November of 2002, making him ineligible until the 2021 NHL Draft. Signing depth is great, unless you fail to take advantage of it in key situations. (3/3) pic.twitter.com/4YJq7fv19d. Fair, compare to Askarov he’s not dynamic, saves based on ‘wow factor’ are not often. He prefers to make saves on his knees and stays down if the puck stays close to the net. 6' 3" / 212 lbs. Vasilevskiy is a great example of what it will take to become a goaltender drafted in the first round. Again, the defenders left an opponent alone in the crease. Montreal Canadiens Schedule, Roster, News, and Rumors | Eyes On The Prize, 2021 World Juniors recap & highlights: Russia ends Sweden’s streak at 54. But Wallstedt has been setting records and dropping jaws long before the Hlinka or U18s. Askarov uses a lot of small and concise shuffles along with short t-pushes. Sweden spent nearly half the second period on the power play, but without finding anything of value. Team Russia did not get let down by this. Jesper Wallstedt, G, 6’3″, 214 lbs. The showdown of the goalies. 1 month ago. Finland (3-0-0-0) 3. Wallstedt, main that cost, has taken on a beginning function within the SHL and is placing up a few of the finest numbers within the league. He’s 6’3”, and as a November 2002 birthday he’s an older prospect — only 6 months younger than Askarov. Wallstedt, who catches with his left, has that rare ability to take a game over by himself. In the unlikely event that Alnefelt stumbles, Sweden can turn to 2021-eligible goalie Jesper Wallstedt. Russia can now look forward to a couple of days off, as they are through to the quarter finals. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Jesper Wallstedt, 2002-11-14 Västerås, SWE Sweden. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Once he realizes that he passes the puck up to the winger and seconds later Russia scores. report. There will be at least 1 episode per week. Noel Gunler may not have scored the prettiest goal of his life, but it certainly is one of his more important to date. Country. Posted by 2 hours ago. He put himself on the radar in his draft -1 year as he posted a .937 Sv% over 14 games while also playing in the U17 league where stats weren’t available at the time. Vasilevskiy was selected with the 19th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Internationally, Vasilevskiy has been a star for Russia since he was 15. Ducharme needed to utilize his reserves better. Required fields are marked *. Most recently in the SHL with Luleå HF. He ends up in just the right spot, seals the ice, and makes the pad save. Not only has Askarov made the MHL, but he is a starter and second statistical league leading goaltender as well. Undersized center Marat Khusnutdinov contributed with a perfect screen on the Swedish goalie. And that’s wrong. 2. 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. Overtime in an exciting primetime game the day before New Year’s. A game where they could watch both Yaroslav Askarov and Wallstedt simultaneously? #WorldJuniors @Trekronorse @russiahockey pic.twitter.com/V6u1S9Fxhc. Jesper Wallstedt and Yaroslav Askarov have each become phenoms in their respective countries of Sweden and Russia. THE STREAK SLAYER!! Swedish coach Joel Ronnmark gave Jesper Wallstedt his first start in net over incumbent Hugo Alnefelt. Interim head coach Joel Ronnmark removed Wallstedt with a minute-and-a-half to go and it resulted in a third game tying goal for his team, who just don’t want to quit on their near 15 year streak without a group stage loss. Laval falls in the first of a home-and-home series with the Marlies. Future Phenoms: Yaroslav Askarov and Jesper Wallstedt, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window). Recap: Habs fall to Flames in a dull affair, Grading the Canadiens prospects’ World Junior Championship performances, WJC: Russia vs. Sweden — Game thread & lineups. Germany (1-1-0-2) 4. Two goaltenders have risen to a status that hasn’t been seen since Carey Price and Marc-Andre Fleury. There is little to no doubt that Jesper Wallstedt is in-fact a future phenom. Born. In one of those games, Wallstedt faced off against the stacked Canadian team. best. The 15-year-old has accomplished amazing things at an unbelievably young age. Instead, the game-tier would come out of a tangled situation where Alexander Holtz first missed an open net and then took his own rebound behind the net and just sent it into the back of Askarov. The showdown of the goalies. His puck tracking plus his agility and flexibility makes it hard to get a puck past him on a backdoor passing play in front. Both of them though can take over the game. His save selection and form is stellar for such a young goaltender and very well displays his maturity. Close. He reads plays very well and know what’s coming before his teammates. Nice screen by Marat Khusnutdinov.#WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/yDK7FQOSZR. He’s got solid size at about 6’3” (190cm), but at 16 it’s likely he’s still growing and developing. 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. 17 comments. Sweden grew into the game and demonstrated the heaviness of their overall roster as the Russian skaters seemed to lose their poise and become increasingly more fatigued. He’s all around a very solid goaltender. Jesper Wallstedt: 31 saves on 35 shots. Physical captain Vasili Podkolzin drove the puck toward the goal and pushed himself past Edmonton Oilers’ prodigy Philip Broberg, who gave up way too much room in front of Wallstedt. Abramov then found Yegor Afanasiev standing all alone to the right of Jesper Wallstedt, with Afansiev re-directing the pass into the net. Your email address will not be published. Holtz released a slap shot from the slot which ricocheted off Gunler’s body to beat Askarov. November 14th 2002 (18) Position. In the first U18 tournament of the 2018-19 season, the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Wallstedt played in two of the tournament’s five games. As a 15-year-old, this slightly below average performance is rather impressive to say the least. Lastly Askarov displays his super high hockey IQ as he catches the Americans on the change on a 5 on 3. Yaroslav Askarov (W): 33 saves on 36 shots. Jesper Wallstedt holds the flag as high as Askarov did this prior year. If we are considering Yaroslav Askarov as a future phenomenon, these are the requirements and standards that he must be able to meet. Outside of his size, Wallstedt shows amazing poise when in between the pipes. The RVH is a controversial topic in the goaltending world. 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. Yaroslav Askarov is now poised to be the starting goaltender for Russia at the coming U18 World Juniors and the staple of the Russian net in international competition for years to come ahead. 1-0 Russia. It’s another example of his outstanding maturity in the net. Why? The big bodied goaltender utilizes his size very well. When the Swedish defencemen couldn’t decide who should play the puck, Arseni Gritsyuk stole the puck behind the net. In this clip Askarov shows his puck tracking ability as he cuts down the angle with a slide and forces the US forward far enough to the side so that he doesn’t have the angle to get the puck around Askarov. Alexis Lafreniére and Jack Hughes are the phenoms of the future everybody has heard of. He has the mental maturity and intelligence of a veteran goaltender at 16. He’s consistent and can easily bounce back after a rough game. Usually, 16-year-old’s wouldn’t be able to play in the MHL as most are put into the Russian U17 league. Afanasyev (NSH) with the goal. He hit the post with two minutes left to play. He spent his draft year and draft minus one year playing in that league. 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. On this trajectory, Askarov could end up in the KHL full time as soon as next year and possibly get a shot this year. Eliteprospects.com hockey player profile of Yaroslav Askarov, 2002-06-16 Omsk, RUS Russia. Have yourself game, Kirill Kirsanov! Jesper Wallstedt is a Swedish goalie prospect. Montreal Canadiens Acquire Gustav Olofsson From Minnesota Wild, Owen Sound Attack 3-4-0-0, Suzuki and Durzi Both Return, Remaining NHL Prospects Watch. ... past Yaroslav Askarov to make it 1-1. This was good enough for 4th best in the league of 1998 birth years. Podkolzin made a heads-up play and found Amirov in front of the net. Rocket recap & highlights: Laval comeback falls short in Toronto. With 25 seconds to go, Costmar received a holding minor and Russia got to end the OT playing four-on-three. Wallstedt was out of position and Amirov tapped it home. The way he executes each stop efficiently keeps the puck out of the net, shuts down rebound  and prevents future scoring opportunities. He can read the play and make just the right move every time. Amirov (TOR) with the assist. Jake Oettinger in 2017, Spencer Knight in 2019, Yaroslav Askarov in 2020 and Jesper Wallstedt in 2021. Sweden. Your email address will not be published. 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. I wrote earlier that Sweden had problems delivering during their many power plays. We may just be looking at the rise of the greatest goaltender of our generation. NJD - NHL. This usually works for him as he’s good at sealing the ice and also has a powerful toe push. Now, Vasilevskiy is an NHL All-Star and Vezina Trophy finalist. However, Podkolzin had disturbed the Swedish goaltender enough in the crease to warrant a further review of the situation. The showdown of the goalies. Meanwhile, Kent Johnson is another US-born forward in a long line of them slated to be an early draft pick, looking to leave his mark on USA hockey like those before him. He first adjusts his angle and depth, then goes down while keeping his chest high, widens his butterfly and extends his blocker to put the puck in the corner. He was the starter for the U18 team for three years. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea (SHL) ... with his poise put him in a class with Panthers prospect Spencer Knight and Predators future netminder Yaroslav Askarov. All signs point to a future phenom coming out of Omsk, Russia. With this, there is a very good chance that Wallstedt could be the first goaltender since Marc-Andre Fleury to be taken first overall at the NHL Draft in 2021. !Marat Khusnutdinov (MIN) ends Sweden's 54 game winning streak in the preliminary round. 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. The oldest players were nearly three years older than him. 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. 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. Some are considering him to be the best Swedish goaltender in the past 5-6 years. What more can one ask of life? Everything about this save is perfect. A professional mixed martial artist since 2013, Askarov previously competed in Absolute Championship Berkut, where he was won the ACB Flyweight Championship and 2017 Summer Deaflympics 61 kg freestyle wrestling gold medalist. A game where they could watch both Yaroslav Askarov and Wallstedt simultaneously? pic.twitter.com/ckguUZ1aAI. Jesper Wallstedt, 2021 NHL Draft If there’s one other undrafted goaltender to mention, it’s Swedish prospect Jesper Wallstedt. Log in or sign up to leave a comment Log In Sign Up. Sign up to receive timely, useful information in your inbox. Wallstedt, 18, has a 2.06 GAA and 92.0 save percentage with the SHL’s Lulea HF this season. Askar Saypulaevich Askarov is a Russian mixed martial artist and freestyle wrestler. 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. Seven minutes in, the Russians would get rewarded for their efforts. In his game against Canada, Wallstedt shutdown deadly players like Alexis Lafreniére, Dylan Cozens as well as Ryan Suzuki. (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. Wallstedt is criticized for being non-dynamic. The goaltenders of the future tend to fly under the radar. He’s not that flashy, but his style is based on good positioning. At 14-years-old, Wallstedt debuted in the SuperElit league (Swedish 20 and under). The 14, turning 15-year-old finished the season with a .921 Sv% over 21 games for VIK Västerås HK. Jesper Wallstedt, G, Lulea (SHL) While this class has been referred to as the “draft of the defender,” don’t sleep on this year’s goaltenders. This tutorial is a part of the Creating Missing NHL 20 Players series. 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. They continued to grind and play an inspired offensive game while Sweden had problems getting anything going. Wallstedt plays with a butterfly style and excels at tracking the puck. 2. Jesper Wallstedt should be discussed in the exact same light. On this trajectory, Askarov could end up in the KHL full time as soon as next year and possibly get a shot this year. (Jason Franson/The Canadian Press via AP) JASON FRANSON While Askarov projects out as an amazing player, Jesper Wallstedt is something else. hide. They are ahead of the Anaheim Ducks via points percentage and have played fewer games than everyone else in the division except the Vegas Golden Knights. 93% Upvoted. (2/3) pic.twitter.com/2E9XBMe8Ip. This time, on the other side of the ice. Oh yes, come to mama. You can see him using it at the end of the clip we saw earlier. All signs point to a future phenom coming out of Omsk, Russia. While Askarov projects out as an amazing player, Jesper Wallstedt is something else. He’s always focused and tough to get off his game. In the 2019-20 season, Wallstedt became the youngest goal- tender to ever play in the SHL and impressed in his debut. Mikhail Abramov (TOR) with a beautiful assist. Wallstedt’s vision of the ice is another positive quality for the youngster. Jesper Wallstedt is making a case to be the first player selected for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Complete player biography and stats. Will the next streak start tomorrow already, or has the bubble finally burst? #2021NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/m860ORFZ4R. This looks like an average save, but for 15 y/o in Jesper Wallstedt this is very impressive. Jesper Wallstedt(2021) stops 22 shots to get his first shutout in the SHL. Askarov plays a very strong mental game on top of everything else. Complete player biography and stats. Jesper Wallstedt. He’s already one of the best in the SHL. Russia comes out on top in a thriller which ends in the last shivering seconds of overtime. One of the easily noticeable aspects of his game is his activeness in the net. Despite this, Askarov was the top performer of all goaltenders at the tournament. DATE PLAYER NAME LEAGUE AUTHOR; Feb 11/21: Wallstedt Jesper: 2463 – Lulea vs. Oskarshamn: SHL: by Dylan Galloway: View Report: Jan 4/21: Wallstedt Jesper: 2283 – Sweden vs… He now leads the league in sv%, & GAA. The effectiveness of this strategy is debatable so it won’t be something I say it is good or bad, but it is an important part of his game. In the end, the referres stuck to their initial call. Even in a scramble, he can cut down the angle and nullify any change. Another important quality for Askarov is his great puck tracking. Soon, the two of them will become phenoms here in North America too. Notify me of follow-up comments by email. Before the period break, Team Russia would get their second power play of the night. Canada (3-0-0-0) 2. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. 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. Goalie. 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. This is because Wallstedt broke an even greater and more interesting record. Askarov also performed well in international play. The goal was disallowed and Wallstedt could continue to dream of a clean sheet. 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. His most noticeable quality is his size. At 15, Wallstedt was named as the third string goaltender at the U18 World Juniors back in April of 2018. Sweden trotted out three top ten selections from the previous NHL Drafts as their top unit. Sort by. Rodion Amirov found the rebound and backhanded it into the net. He follows the puck really well, especially in tight. Most recently in the MHL with SKA-1946 St. Petersburg. In both years, Vasilevskiy had a lot of success in the MHL. For Wallstedt just breaking one of Hedman’s records wasn’t nearly good enough. On a big change on the PK he uses 100% perfect form and rebound control. With Askarov, we can compare him to an amazing and established goaltender like Andrei Vasilevskiy, but with Wallstedt there is no comparison. Sweden meanwhile, face another top opponent tomorrow in Team USA. … Above all, Askarov is very smart and has a high hockey IQ. Not only did Wallstedt play in that league, but he dominated. He now has a .948 Sv% over 10 games in the MHL and is on pace to shatter the stats put up by Vasilevskiy. Wallstedt was born in November of 2002, making him ineligible until the 2021 NHL Draft. Prior to the 2012 NHL draft, Vasilevskiy played in the MHL (Russian 20 and under junior league). Reply. He’s constantly making adjustments to make sure his depth and angles are always just right. After a lethargic game on Thursday, the Habs need to bounce back tonight. It’s a way of covering the post in which you put the pad close to the post on the ice and the far pad up in the air. This is because on October 25th, 2017 at 14 years, 11 months and 11 days old, Jesper Wallstedt scored a goal in a game against Brynäs IF, the same team Hedman scored on 11 years prior. He is currently in his draft -1 year as he is eligible to be selected in 2020. After being drafted, he went on to become one of the most highly touted prospects to come through Tampa Bay since Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. 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. Post and in on the powerplay, 3-2 to the Russians! He has the potential to take over games and dictate the outcome from the crease. 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. In his two appearances, he registered a .893 Sv%. The San Jose Sharks currently sit last in the Honda West Division with 21 points in 23 games played. If it wasn’t for Wallstedt playing a very solid first period, Russia may have had a bigger lead. level 1. Wallstedt is a big fan of using the RVH. While Daniil Chayka and Aatu Räty have done amazing things and may warrant themselves an article, there is no player quite like Jesper Wallstedt. Links: Are Edmundson and Petry the best in the North? Jesper Wallstedt. On October 7th, 2006 at 15 years, 9 months and 19 days old, Victor Hedman became the youngest goal scorer in SuperElit history. 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. 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. 2021 Draft Class Introductions: Jesper Wallstedt save. He's tall (6'3") and unlike Askarov, who is considered more athletic, Wallstedt has better technique and control. If Alnefelt happens to falter, Sweden has a very talented and reliable option backing him up in draft-eligible Jesper Wallstedt. 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. There is very little to criticize Askarov about. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Ultimately, in an era where teams are reluctant to select goaltenders in the first round, this is what it takes to achieve just that. Askarov is also one of very few right catching goaltenders out there. The only thing we can know for sure is that the final game of Group B will be one to watch. That wasn’t good enough for Jesper Wallstedt though. Although some have criticized Wallstedt for relying on his size a bit too much and using it to made up for other inefficiencies, generally he just needs to get a little more comfortable with his size and learn to rely on it less. At the U18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, Askarov was Russia’s starter as a 16-year-old at the tournament, a year younger than most. Height / Weight. You’d expect this from a 20 y/o, but when a 15 y/o shows this kind of poise it’s something to note. With such stellar accomplishments, Wallstedt plays a great game enriched with plenty of skill. Tonight, it took 37 seconds before one of them seemed to have lost his possibility of a shutout. Every save Wallstedt makes is perfectly executed and well thought out. This sometimes comes off as lazy, but also is a little risky if he doesn’t anticipate a shot.