Linus Ullmark

Lore & Background

Ullmark began his junior career with Kramfors-Alliansen in the Swedish J18 Elit League in 2008–09 while still part of Modo's organization. He later played for Modo's J20 team and senior team in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), winning the Honken Trophy as the league's best goaltender in 2013–14. He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round of the 2012 NHL entry draft and signed an entry-level contract in May 2014. After spending time with the Rochester Americans of the AHL, he made his NHL debut on 24 October 2015, making 24 saves in a 4–3 loss to the New Jersey Devils. He recorded his first career NHL shutout on 13 October 2018, stopping all 36 shots in a 3–0 win over the Arizona Coyotes. In 2020–21, he helped stop an 18-game losing skid for the Sabres with a 6–1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on 31 March 2021.

Reader's Guide

Ullmark's significance stems from his historic 2022–23 season with the Boston Bruins, during which he led the NHL in wins, goals against average, and save percentage. He became the 13th NHL goaltender to score a goal, shooting the puck into an empty net against the Vancouver Canucks on 25 February 2023. That season, he won both the Vezina Trophy (awarded to the league's best goaltender) and the William M. Jennings Trophy (awarded to the goaltender(s) with the fewest goals against), sharing the latter with teammate Jeremy Swayman. The Bruins set new records for wins (65) and points (135) that season, winning the Presidents' Trophy. Ullmark's career also includes winning the Honken Trophy in Sweden's SHL in 2013–14 and representing the Rochester Americans at the AHL All-Star Classic in 2017 and 2018. His journey from a sixth-round draft pick to a Vezina winner underscores his development and consistency.

Did You Know?

• Ullmark was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round, 163rd overall, of the 2012 NHL entry draft.
• He won the Honken Trophy as the best goaltender in the Swedish Hockey League in 2013–14.
• He became the 13th NHL goaltender to score a goal, doing so on 25 February 2023 against the Vancouver Canucks.
• Ullmark and Jeremy Swayman shared the William M. Jennings Trophy in the 2022–23 season.

From Modo's Ranks to the Honken Trophy

Ullmark's path to professional hockey in Sweden was anything but a straight line. Though part of Modo's organization, he began his junior career with Kramfors-Alliansen in the J18 Elit League during the 2008-09 season. A departure among Modo's J20 goaltenders opened a door, and he reappeared in their J20 lineup for a single game in 2009-10 before logging two more appearances the following year. The 2011-12 season marked his first taste of senior hockey, with three SHL games alongside 25 in J20. By 2012-13, he was splitting time across three levels—Modo's J20 squad, Mora IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan, and Modo's senior team—building a 2.07 GAA and .934 save percentage in his six SHL appearances, plus five playoff games. The 2013-14 campaign was his breakout: 35 games, a 17-16-0 record, a 2.08 GAA, and a .931 save percentage that earned him the Honken Trophy as the Swedish Hockey League's top goaltender.

The Long Road Through Buffalo

Drafted in the sixth round, 163rd overall, by Buffalo in 2012, Ullmark signed a three-year entry-level deal in May 2014. His North American journey was defined by repeated shuttling between the Sabres and their AHL affiliate, the Rochester Americans. His NHL debut came on 24 October 2015, a 4-3 loss to New Jersey where he stopped 24 shots, followed by a 3-1 win over Philadelphia in his second start. Over four seasons with Buffalo, he accumulated just 63 NHL games while spending the bulk of his time in Rochester, where he was selected for the AHL All-Star Classic in both 2017 and 2018. Injuries compounded the difficulty—a concussion in 2018, a right-leg issue in January 2020, and a lower-body problem in February 2021 that cost him 15 games. His career shutouts arrived in October and December 2018, stopping 36 and 40 shots respectively. Despite the turbulence, he re-signed with Buffalo three times, including a $2.6 million one-year deal in October 2020.

The 2022-23 Boston Apex

The 2022-23 season with Boston represented the absolute apex of Ullmark's career. He led the entire NHL in wins, goals against average, and save percentage, establishing himself as the league's premier goaltender. In a remarkable display of versatility, he also scored an empty-net goal, becoming only the 13th goaltender in NHL history to record such a feat. His individual excellence translated into team success, and he was recognized with both the Vezina Trophy, awarded to the league's top goaltender, and the William M. Jennings Trophy, which he shared with fellow netminder Jeremy Swayman. The Jennings Trophy honors the team with the fewest goals against, underscoring that Ullmark's dominance was not merely a statistical anomaly but a cornerstone of Boston's defensive identity that season. For a player who had been a late sixth-round selection just a decade earlier, the dual-honor campaign stood as definitive proof that his journey from Modo's J20 ranks to the NHL's highest individual recognition was complete.

Injuries, Loss, and the Will to Return

Ullmark's career has been punctuated by a series of setbacks that tested his durability and resolve. In his first North American season, an early injury forced him to begin the year in Rochester. A concussion in 2018 limited his NHL availability, and he returned to Rochester for the Calder Cup playoffs, where he allowed 16 goals in three games as the Americans were swept by Syracuse. In January 2020, a right-leg injury kept him out for 18 games before the pandemic halted the season. The 2020-21 campaign brought further hardship: he missed the opening games after his father passed away, and a lower-body injury in late February sidelined him for 15 games, during which the Sabres lost every contest. Despite these repeated interruptions, Ullmark consistently returned to the lineup, re-signed with Buffalo on multiple occasions, and ultimately evolved into the elite goaltender who would later dominate in Boston. His ability to navigate personal loss, physical setbacks, and organizational uncertainty speaks to a resilience that underpinned his eventual success.