@boosbuzzsabres
G--Linus Ullmark
25 yrs. old
6'4" 213 lbs.
2012, sixth round (163rd overall)
Career stats: 26 games | 9-13-2 | 2.52 GAA | .917 Sv% | 0 shutouts
At 6'4" 213 lbs., Buffalo Sabres goalie Linus Ullmark definitely has the size and with 127 AHL games with the Rochester Americans, he's definitely gained a lot of experience since first coming over from his native Sweden in 2015. Add in that he faced over 3,000 shots the last two seasons, by far the most in the AHL over that span, and you might say he more than paid his dues for his NHL shot.
It's been a good, long development curve for Ullmark beginning in Sweden as a teenager and playing his first games in Sweden's top pro league (SHL) as a 19 yr. old for MODO Hockey. He would work his way into a starting role in MODO for two seasons, eventually saving them from relegation in 2014-15 with a stellar four-game performance that featured a 0.50 GAA and .980 Sv% (the next season MODO was demoted.)
From there it was pretty simple, right? Leave the SHL on that high note, come over to North America, play in the AHL and learn the game with the focus upon making it to the NHL. However there were some twists and turns along the way.
At the end of the SHL season in 2015, Ullmark elected to have double-hip surgery that would keep him out 4-6 months. Which was fine. The Sabres organization expected him to be ready for full time Rochester duty somewhere in late November and didn't even have him dress for opening night.
That changed pretty quick.
Buffalo starter Robin Lehner went down with a knee injury in the very first game of the 2015-16 season and they were forced to do some goaltender juggling. Ullmark started Rochester's second game of the season, less than two weeks later he was in Buffalo as Chad Johnson's backup and he made his NHL debut on October 24. He played 20 games for the Sabres that season and returned to Rochester in January to tack on 25 more Amerks games.
Ullmark did not have the best Amerks team in front of him in 2016-17 and lead the league in shots-against with 1,678 yet he still managed a decent .909 Sv% on a Rochester team that finished with the sixth-worst record. Last year he clipped his GAA to 2.44 and upped his Sv% to .922 and helped the Amerks reach the playoffs for the first time in three years. But the were swept in the first round with him sporting a 5.50 GAA and .880 Sv%.
Earlier at training camp Ullmark, ever the thoughtful and level-headed one, was asked about the finish to last season and he told the press that he "was going to go out there and try his very best and hope that works."
As of now it looks as if he'll be a 1B to Carter Hutton's 1A for the Sabres and at worst he'll be considered a backup getting a good amount of starts. Ullmark started Buffalo's first preseason game at Columbus allowing one goal on 21 shots in two periods of hockey. He looked positionally strong, as he always does, and flashed some leather as he's been know to do as well. He'll need to work out some kinks, like over-committing, but hopefully he'll pare that back and smooth out some inconsistencies with more ice-time.
The Sabres will need some solid goaltending if they want to entertain thoughts of going on a playoff run this season. There will a lot of new faces amongst the skaters on the ice opening night while Ullmark will join Hutton the new faces of Buffalo's goalie tandem.
Building the 2018-19 Buffalo Sabres roster:
LW, Conor Sheary /
C, Jack Eichel /
RW, Sam Reinhart
LW, Jeff Skinner /
C, Casey Mittelstadt /
RW, Kyle Okposo
LW, Patrik Berglund /
C, Rasmus Asplund /
RW, Jason Pominville
LHD, Marco Scandella /
RHD, Rasmus Ristolainen
LHD, Rasmus Dahlin /
RHD, Zach Bogosian
LHD, Jake McCabe /
RHD, Casey Nelson
G, Carter Hutton
G, Linus Ullmark
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