Victor Ostman became the 12th University of Maine goalie to appear in a National Hockey League game on Tuesday night.
Ostman was the back-up goalie for the Seattle Kraken during their game against Utah and Kraken starting goalie Joey Daccord allowed seven goals on 29 shots through two periods of the 7-1 loss.
So Ostman started the third period and wound up stopping all 12 shots he faced.
Ostman said in a postgame interview that it was a “lot of fun” on Tuesday night and called it a “pretty surreal feeling” to be playing in the NHL.
“I definitely had to pinch my arm skating around in between whistles. Just looking around, seeing the crowd. You kind of have to be like, ‘Oh, wow, I’m actually doing this right now.’” said Ostman when asked if he had a chance to appreciate the milestone. “It was a cool moment, for sure.”
Philipp Grubauer was expected to start the game but became ill, so Daccord got the start and Ostman was called up from the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League to back him up.
Ostman acknowledged that his entrance into the game was during “obviously not one of the best circumstances” and thought his teammates “played really good” in front of him during the third period.
The 24-year-old goalie was sent back down to Coachella Valley on Wednesday.
According to the Kraken, five of his 12 saves came off high-danger chances per Natural Stat Trick, which is a place where you can get NHL statistics.
Ostman played four years at UMaine before signing a two-year, entry-level free agent deal with Kraken after last season.
“He looked good,” said UMaine assistant coach/goalie coach Alfie Michaud, who watched the game. “He looked like he had been playing pro hockey for a while. He controlled pucks.”
Michaud said his first save was one of several gems he made.
“He made a cross-crease save on a bang-bang play. It was an NHL-executed three-on-two,” explained Michaud, who led UMaine to the national championship in 1998-99 and is one of the 12 goalies who saw NHL playing time.
“They drove the middle, kicked the puck out wide and then [the pass] goes from [face-off] dot-to-dot. He was right on it,” said Michaud.
Kraken defenseman Vince Dunn called Ostman’s performance “amazing” in an interview with the Kraken Hockey Network after the game.
“He held his own very well. It can be uncomfortable, especially with the flow of the game he came into,” Dunn said. “I’m so happy for him. It’s great for his confidence and a good look from a management standpoint.”
Kraken head coach Dan Bylsma agreed.
“He got challenged. He made three or four really good saves and looked really solid in that first NHL experience,” Bylsma said. “It was a good one for him.”
Ostman was an All-Hockey East second team goaltender and a semifinalist for the nation’s top goalie award his junior year at UMaine. He posted a 14-12-4 record, a 2.21 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage that year.
Ostman said making a few good saves early enabled him to settle into the game on Tuesday night.
“It’s nice to get a couple saves early so you get the nerves out of the way,” said the native of Danderyd, Sweden. “And after that you can just kind of play. “It’s never easy but it’s always nice to get a couple ones in the beginning.”
One of the officials came up to him and congratulated him on playing his first NHL game.
“He was just trying to welcome me and I appreciate that. I mean, everyone did a good job of making me feel comfortable out there,” said Ostman.
He said his family knew he was going to be dressed for the game but surmised that they didn’t expect him to play.
“So we’ll see when they wake up in the morning. They’ll probably get a little surprise,” he said.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Ostman has spent most of his first pro season with the Kansas City Mavericks of the ECHL where he has registered a 21-7-4 record, a 2.52 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
In four games with Coachella Valley, he is 2-1-1 with a 2.00 GAA and a .927 save percentage.
During his four seasons at UMaine, he went 35-38-7 with a 2.82 GAA and a .905 save percentage.
He lost his starting job halfway through the 2023-24 season to freshman and fellow Swede Albin Boija, who was an All-Hockey East second team selection this past season.
