Vikman Continues Gathering Worldly Experience as a VGK Prospect

It's a 5,300-mile journey from Stockholm to Las Vegas. From there, it's less than 10 to get to Henderson. Whether it's a long journey or a short one, Jesper Vikman is happy to make any journey that brings him closer to his dream of playing in the NHL.

After all, those trips led him to Vegas Golden Knights Development Camp presented by Martin-Harris Construction as the young goaltender took another major step forward in a 15-year-long hockey career. He spent a week with fellow VGK draft picks and other prospects getting a taste of what being a Golden Knight is like.

"I started playing hockey in Sweden when I was about six-years-old," Vikman said. "I fell in love with the game right away, and I never really tried any other sports. It was just hockey right away."

Vikman spent five seasons of his junior career with AIK in Stockholm. He worked his way up from their U16 team to their HockeyAllsvenskan roster, where he played his first game at 17. He finished that year's U20 season with a 3.06 GAA and a .902 save percentage and that year's AIK season with a 3.35 GAA and a .901 save percentage.

Vikman wanted to keep taking steps towards his goal of becoming an NHL goaltender. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 draft by the Golden Knights, and he started working in tandem with their development team on how to best accomplish that objective.

First step: making the jump to NHL sized ice and a pro-style schedule.

"My agent and I had a conversation with Vegas' staff about moving over to playing on North American ice for juniors," Vikman said. "We thought playing on the smaller rink would be a good choice for my career. It'll help me transition to the smaller rink and the pro game here. The WHL was perfect for me. It's kind of a pro schedule even though it's junior hockey - you learn to travel and play a lot. So, it was definitely a good choice."

That same attention to detail in shaping Vikman as a player has been a consistent theme not only throughout his time at the team's development camp, but also throughout every season in the Golden Knights' system.

"Getting a week here during the summer definitely helps you with your development. That's why they want to bring us in, to help us get better. But they do a lot year-round to help with that, too," Vikman said. "Every time you come in here, it's top-class. The equipment managers, the strength coaches, the whole staff - you can't find anything better in hockey."

After two seasons in the WHL, Vikman achieved another major milestone last spring: his professional debut, one that brought him the closest yet - figuratively and literally - to his NHL goal.

On April 12, 2023, Vikman started between the pipes for the Henderson Silver Knights, the AHL affiliate of the Golden Knights.

"It was awesome [to make my professional debut]. I was super grateful for the opportunity, and I was happy to continue playing after the season with the [Vancouver] Giants," he said. "Our postseason didn't go as planned; it was disappointing to lose in the first round. So, I was super happy when [the Knights] called me and told me that they were going to bring me in for the rest of the season [in Henderson]. I was excited that I got the opportunity to play a game - it's great experience."

But despite the distances traveled en route to development camp, it's not all unfamiliar. There are some friendly faces among the Golden Knights' prospects who have made similar journeys of their own. Fellow Swedish goaltender Carl Lindbom, drafted by Vegas in 2021 and goaltender for AIK's main rival, Djurgårdens IF, is also in attendance.

"It's awesome to have another Swede here, especially another goalie. We're from the same hometown, so it's fun to share this experience," said Vikman. It's just a lot of fun. We had a lot of memories from playing against each other [in Sweden], and we've been to national team camps together before, too. It's really fun to compete against each other, but also to be best friends here."

His time on Sweden's national teams has also provided Vikman with valuable goaltending experience on a larger stage. The Stockholm native recorded a 1.50 GAA with a .938 save percentage with the U18 national team and 2.53 GAA with a .921 save percentage with the U20 national team. It's a preparation under pressure that he hopes to bring to his play for the Golden Knights organization.

But astute fans in attendance at City National Arena might notice that there are two nations' flags represented on Vikman's goalie mask, Sweden and Finland.

"My mom is from Sweden and my dad is from Finland. I'm fluent in both languages; I'm somewhere in between, I feel. I've always wanted both nations on my helmet," he said.

It's also a way of representing just how far Vikman has traveled to be with the best team - and best staff - in hockey. But no matter how far Vikman has traveled to work towards his goal of playing in the NHL, that piece of home always travels with him.

And it will keep making these journeys with him: to the remainder of summer, to more professional games next season, and - hopefully, in the future - to T-Mobile Arena.