Knights prospect to get chance to protect net in AHL — PHOTOS
There’s an opportunity waiting for Jesper Vikman.
The 22-year-old goaltender has been one of the Golden Knights’ top prospects in the crease for the past two seasons.
The Knights have been high on the Swedish netminder and now have a better view of him after he played his first year of professional hockey last season.
It was an expected struggle for Vikman, a fifth-round pick in 2020.
He appeared in 19 games for the Silver Knights and went 6-9-2 with 3.48 goals allowed and an .891 save percentage.
Vikman’s time with the Savannah Ghost Pirates of the ECHL was slightly better — 3.01 GAA and an .899 save percentage.
Vikman thought he was going to have his own net in Savannah to start, but injuries to Isaiah Saville forced his way to Henderson earlier than anticipated.
“It was good. Probably didn’t expect it in the beginning,” Vikman said Friday at the Golden Knights’ development camp at City National Arena. “Vegas gave me a chance to play more games in the AHL, and I was super happy for that chance.”
After making a few cross-country trips between Southern Nevada and Georgia, Vikman now sees a chance for more established time in the American Hockey League.
One important detail needs to be addressed. The Knights don’t have an ECHL affiliate with the Ghost Pirates joining the Florida Panthers. The Tahoe Knight Monsters, who start play in the 2025 season, are expected to be the Knights’ new affiliate.
“Definitely a big step, but I’d say the shots are similar,” Vikman said of going from the ECHL to the AHL. “The shooters are all smarter. They don’t shoot the puck to shoot it. They shoot it with a purpose.”
Until that gets sorted out, there is an opening for a backup goaltender on the Silver Knights.
Akira Schmid is expected to be the No. 1 goaltender. Schmid was acquired from the New Jersey Devils on June 29 — along with right wing Alexander Holtz — for left wing Paul Cotter and a third-round pick.
Schmid signed a two-year deal with the Knights at a cap hit of $875,000 to replace Jiri Patera, who signed with the Vancouver Canucks on Monday.
That sets the stage for a stacked competition behind Schmid in Henderson. Vikman is expected to be part of that.
The other is Carl Lindbom, the Knights’ seventh-round pick from 2021 who has gotten rave reviews from team brass. The Swede had 2.12 goals against and a .911 save percentage in 26 appearances with Farjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League last season.
Lindbom signed his entry-level contract June 1, 2023, and will start his pro career in North America.
“We like all those guys,” assistant director of player personnel Bob Lowes said.“I don’t think you can ever have too much depth at one position.”
Vikman stands 6 feet, 3 inches. He has shown good agility for his size and does well at going side to side.
But much like the Knights face questions in the crease at the NHL level, they face the same uncertainty in the organization depth chart.
Two more goalies eventually will be on their way. Cameron Whitehead had a strong freshman season at Northeastern with 2.62 goals against and a .917 save percentage.
Whitehead is similar to Vikman in size at 6-3 and rebounded from a tough two-year run with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League.
The other is one the Knights just drafted. Pavel Moysevich is only 19, but already playing well in the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. He had a .942 save percentage in 13 games last season with the Belarusian, showing he’s ready for a bigger role.
Vikman has skated with established NHL players with noteworthy shots — William Nylander and David Pastrnak. He said he skated with them about five times a week to continue to get better.
The hope for Vikman is it translates to what could be a big year for his development.
“Those guys go super hard in the summer,” he said. “They always shoot me a text when they want a goalie to shoot on. It’s good to get some pro shots.”
Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.