Wild finds value in first-round picks Wallstedt, Lambos

ST. PAUL -- The Wild made some history on Friday night during the first round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
For the first time in franchise history, Minnesota selected a goaltender in the opening round of the draft, taking the aptly Swedish netminder Jesper Wallstedt with the 20th overall pick.
In doing so, Wallstedt became the first Swedish goaltender to be picked in the first round.

"I'm very happy to do this," Wallstedt said. "To be the first Swedish goalie drafted in the first round is very surreal, so I'm very happy."
Minnesota traded up to do it too, eager to land a prospect that fit both a position of need, and the best player available on the Wild's board.
So high up was he on Minnesota's pre-draft rankings, the team didn't have a name plate to install on a jersey to hold up as his name was called from the team dressing room at TRIA Rink.

"He's a player we've been watching for a number of years," said Judd Brackett, the Wild's Director of Amateur Scouting. "Really advanced technical goaltender with lots of experience playing against men, playing internationally.
"He's played a lot of hockey in terms of high-level hockey, which is something we look for in goalies."
In picking Wallstedt at 20th overall, Minnesota chose a goaltender 18 spots higher than it selected Josh Harding back in the 2002 Draft.
But it also got a guy it had tabbed as the No. 1 goaltender available in this class and who NHL Central Scouting had as its top European goalie available.
In order to select Wallstedt with the 20th pick, Minnesota made a trade with the Edmonton Oilers, surrendering its own pick at 22nd overall, as well as its second third-round pick at 90th overall.
It was an easy price to pay.

"He's just a very talented kid," said Wild GM Bill Guerin. "He was projected high all year and it's just something that fell into our lap. Goaltending is a very important position, so it's good to have it in the system."
Wallstedt posted a 12-10-0 record in 22 games with Lulea HF in the Swedish Hockey League last season, with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage with two shutouts.
He's expected to return to the SHL next season, where he will earn even more experience playing against older players.
"I would say I'm a technically sound goalie with a good gameplan and also good game sense," Wallstedt said. "I like to read the play a lot and ... be ready for all situations to happen."
Later in the first round, Guerin refused a number of inquiries to move out of the first round in order to stay put at 26 and nab defenseman Carson Lambos, another player the Wild had rated higher on its draft board.
Lambos, a two-way defender from Winnipeg who fought through an injury-plagued 2020-21 season, possesses good size at 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds, and is someone Brackett believes is close to being NHL ready.
"He's definitely one of the more physically mature players. That's what made him so successful in his under-age year and the ability to step into a league like the Western Hockey League," Brackett said. "He was already a strong skater, able to physically engage, able to win puck battles. That's a big part of his game, is he's a really physical, hard defender and strength is a big part of it, and being advanced that way."
For Lambos, a big fan of the Winnipeg Jets growing up, putting on a Wild hat was a bit surreal.
"But now I'm onboard with the Wild," Lambos said. "I'm just so excited to get to work."
Lambos is a player who may not have been available to the Wild at 26 if not for a year last season filled with adversity. A stud as an underager, Lambos played in Finland for part of last season while the WHL did not play due to COVID-19.
Once it returned, Lambos came home and played just two games before he was forced to miss the remainder of his season.
The medical issues that forced him out of the lineup are not a concern for the Wild, however, who have given him a clean bill of health.
"It wasn't easy, but I battled through it and I think I'm a stronger person because of it," Lambos said. "I'm just looking forward to putting that all behind me and shooting for the stars with my future."
Even after trading the 90th pick to Edmonton, the Wild will still be plenty busy on Saturday for Rounds 2-7 of the draft. Minnesota owns its own pick in each round, slated to pick 54th, 86th, 118th, 150th, 182nd and 214th overall.
Related:
- Wild selects goaltender Jesper Wallstedt with 20th overall pick - Wild selects defenseman Carson Lambos with 26th overall pick