Wild's Jesper Wallstedt Explains Preference to Play at Home

This season has been a whirlwind for the Minnesota Wild, the kind that flips expectations on their head. What began as a fringe playoff outlook has turned into something much bigger — a team playing fast, confident hockey and forcing the rest of the league to pay attention.

Up front, the Wild have a great forward group. Matt Boldy is playing like one of the best-value contracts in the NHL at a $7 million AAV, while Kirill Kaprizov reset the market earlier this season with his massive eight-year, $136 million deal signed on September 30, 2025. Minnesota suddenly has both star power and stability.

Then came the shockwave. Last week’s blockbuster trade for Quinn Hughes pushed the Wild from “very good” to genuinely scary. It was one of the biggest NHL trades in years, rivaled only by last season’s Rantanen saga, and it had the entire league buzzing. Even superstars from Central Division rivals like Cale Makar and Martin Nečas weighed in on how much the move reshaped the landscape.

Lost slightly in the noise, though, has been one of the most remarkable breakout stories in hockey: rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt.

Jesper Wallstedt’s last 4 games:

- 3 Shutouts
- 4 Wins
- .978 SV%
- 0.75 GAA
- Snapped the Wild’s 9 Game Losing Streak vs the Jets

Emerging Star. 🌟 pic.twitter.com/A75ggfBylR
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) November 23, 2025

Wallstedt’s Historic Rise in Net

While both Filip Gustavsson and Wallstedt have been outstanding this season, the rookie has gone to another level entirely, and earned himself the nickname “The Wall of St. Paul”. Drafted No. 20 overall by the Wild in 2022, Wallstedt took some time developing, and now looks like one of the best goaltenders in the entire league, not just among rookies.

Right now, he leads the NHL in goals-against average (1.95), save percentage (.937), and shutouts (4). Those numbers are jaw-dropping on their own, but the context makes them even wilder. Analyst Dimitri Filipovic had a wild Wallstedt stat a while back, where he had four shutouts over a six-start stretch accounted for more than 10% of all NHL shutouts at that point in the season.

Those shutouts didn't come against soft competition either. Wallstedt blanked the Oilers, Jets, Ducks, and had a 36-save masterpiece against the Flames. He became the first rookie goalie since 1938 to post four shutouts in six games and just the seventh goalie since 1929–30 to reach five shutouts by his 10th career win — the first to do so in more than 61 years.

The #mnwild leads the NHL with seven shutout victories this season.

Per #NHLStats, it's Minnesota's highest single-season shutout total since posting eight in 2015-16. pic.twitter.com/pO5zVT7yGB
— Minnesota Wild PR (@mnwildPR) December 17, 2025

Why Home Ice Matters to Wallstedt

The biggest win of his young career came at home: a 3–2 shootout victory over the league-leading Colorado Avalanche, who entered the night riding three straight shutouts. Beating the NHL’s best in person made it even sweeter for Wild fans.

Wallstedt was asked recently whether playing at home makes a difference, and his answer gave some insight into.

“I think I just feed off the crowd," said Wallstedt. "As soon as I get out there, you get that feeling, you get that vibe. You know it’s a hockey game. Hopefully you make a couple of early saves, and if you get a couple cheers on that, the crowd gets going. That definitely boosts your confidence and puts you right into the game. So I just love playing games here.”

Confidence is everything for a goalie, and Wallstedt seems to draw it directly from the energy in the building. Personally, I’d want silence to focus, but Wallstedt thrives on noise, and that says a lot about how comfortable he already is.

Dec 2, 2025; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Minnesota Wild goalie Jesper Wallstedt (30) is seen out on the ice as the Edmonton Oilers take on the Minnesota Wild during the first period at Rogers Place. Mandatory Credit: Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images | Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images

In the same interview, Wallstedt also shared how he stays sharp away from the rink, using a VR headset and Sense Arena to train. It’s part of a growing trend among goalies, allowing them to work on reads and reactions without extra wear on their bodies or the risk of full-speed shots in practice.

As the Wild sit with the fourth-best record in the NHL and ride a five-to-six game win streak, the picture is coming into focus. A dynamic forward core, a Norris-caliber defenseman in Quinn Hughes, and a potential superstar goalie still scratching the surface. For Minnesota, this doesn’t feel like a hot stretch anymore. It feels like the beginning of something real.

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