Minnesota Wild rookie goaltender Jesper Wallstedt has been unbelievable this season.
In 10 games, the Swedish netminder has eight wins and four shutouts, with his latest coming on Tuesday against the Edmonton Oilers.
With an 8-0-2 record, he became the sixth rookie in NHL history with a 10-game season-opening point streak and first since Los Angeles Kings netminder Robb Stauber in 1992.
Wallstedt also became the first goaltender in more than 61 years with five shutouts at the time of his 10th career win.
With all these incredible records and a red-hot start to this campaign, fans and media around the league are taking notice of the 'Great Wall of St. Paul.'
"Wallstedt is Rookie of the year and it is not even becoming close," @JohnTravis16325 posted on X.
"He's gotta be on team Sweden in Milan, right???? Right????" @HeH8Me_ wrote.
"How long do we wait before the word 'Vezina' is mentioned?" @BruceBurniece posted.
The fans of Minnesota, and hockey fans in general, are well aware that the Oilers, the squad Wallstedt just blanked, passed on him in the 2021 draft. They traded their 20th overall pick to Minnesota in exchange for the 22nd and 90th selections.
"The Oilers passing on Jesper Wallstedt Is the most baffling thing I've ever seen an NHL team do on draft day. It was meant to be and instead they traded down. I was at an Oiler watch party and people went nuts. Sometimes the fans know what's right. Oilers fans aren't dumb," @Pete___Hughes wrote.
"Wild never felt in any danger of losing a game against McDavid and the oil. While only having a 1 goal lead almost all night. That's how unreal Wallstedt is playing. Thank for the trade EDM," @cdwild27 posted.
"THE GREAT WALL OF ST. PAUL SHUTS OUT THE TEAM THAT TRADED AWAY THE PICK THEY COULD’VE USED TO DRAFT HIM! DIDN’T WANT HIM AND NOW THEY WISH THEY HAD HIM," @B_Marsh92 posted on X.
A Historic Start: Wild's Jesper Wallstedt Joins Nearly Century-Old Company With Record Rookie SurgeRookie goalie Jesper Wallstedt shatters NHL records with a historic shutout surge, dominating rookie leaderboards and rewriting goaltending history.On the other hand, the entire hockey community was drooling over Wallstedt’s performance against Edmonton and in awe of his numbers so far this season.
"Four shutouts in last 6 starts? You s----in’ me, Wallstedt?!?" @RearAdBsBlog said on X.
"Wallstedt really is that dude isn’t he," @alexismirjana posted.
"You know how after one season, we already declared Kirill Kaprizov the best player in (Wild) history? I think by the end of this season, we will consider Jesper Wallstedt to already be the best goalie in (Wild) history," @BrandonMileski posted on X.
"Jesper Wallstedt's last 6 starts have resulted in 10.5 percent of the total shutouts in the NHL so far this season lol," @DimFilipovic wrote.
Wallstedt received rookie of the month honors for November, beating out Anaheim Ducks right winger Beckett Sennecke, who had 14 points in 15 games during the month, and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who had 11 points.
If he keeps up this strong performance, he could be a household name in the NHL in no time.
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