SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Twin Cities chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association (PHWA) today announced the nomination of Minnesota Wild goaltender Jesper Wallstedt for the National Hockey League’s (NHL’s) Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The trophy is presented annually to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.
Wallstedt, 23 (11/14/02), owns a 17-8-6 record with a 2.65 goals-against average (GAA), a .915 save percentage (SV%) and four shutouts in 33 games this season (31 starts). The 6-foot-3, 214-pound native of Vasteras, Sweden, ranks second in the NHL in SV% and T-3rd in shutouts this season. Wallstedt earned his 17th win of the season on April 7 vs. Seattle to establish a new franchise record for most wins in a season by a rookie goaltender. He was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for November after going 6-0-0 with a league-leading 1.14 GAA, a .967 SV% and three shutouts. He became the second player in franchise history to earn Rookie of the Month honors, joining Brock Faber. He also posted a 10-game point streak from October 13 – December 2, which is tied for the fourth-longest streak by a rookie goaltender in NHL history, and tied for the fourth-longest streak in team history. He was selected to represent Sweden at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.
Prior to his first full season in the NHL, Wallstedt posted a 2-3-0 record with a with a 3.44 GAA, a .877 SV% and one shutout in five starts over two seasons (2023-25). Wallstedt also owns a 49-48-17 record with a 2.90 GAA, a .902 SV% and four shutouts in 110 American Hockey League Games (AHL) over a span of three seasons (2022-25) with the Iowa Wild. Wallstedt represented Iowa at the 2024 AHL All-Star Game. He scored his first career professional goal with Iowa on November 12, 2022 at Chicago. The Wild selected Wallstedt with the 20th overall selection in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Marc-Andre Fleury (2024-25), Marco Rossi (2023-24), Mason Shaw (2022-23), Jared Spurgeon (2021-22), Matt Dumba (2020-21), Alex Stalock (2019-20), Ryan Suter (2018-19), Matt Cullen (2017-18), Eric Staal (2016-17), Nate Prosser (2015-16), Devan Dubnyk (2014-15), Josh Harding (2013-14, 201213), Clayton Stoner (2011-12), Pierre-Marc Bouchard (2010-11), Guillaume Latendresse (2009-10), Kurtis Foster (2008-09), Aaron Voros (2007-08), Marian Gaborik (2006-07), Wes Walz (2005-06, 2000-01), Alexandre Daigle (2003-04), Dwayne Roloson (2002-03) and Richard Park (2001-02) were previously nominated for the award.
Wallstedt can become the third player in franchise history to win the award. Josh Harding was named the 2013 recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on June 14, 2013, to become the first player in Wild history to win a voted-on NHL Award. Devan Dubnyk was named the recipient of the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy on June 24, 2015. Marc-Andre Fleury was a finalist for the 2025 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy and Matt Dumba was a finalist for the 2021 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy.
The winner of the Masterton Trophy is selected by a poll among the 32 chapters of the PHWA. NHL writers first presented the trophy in 1968 to commemorate the late Bill Masterton, who played for the Minnesota North Stars and exhibited to a high degree the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey. Masterton died on Jan. 15, 1968, as a result of head injuries suffered during a game.
