Linus Ullmark

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Not to be confused with Linus Omark.

Linus Ullmark
Ullmark with the Rochester Americans in 2018
Born (1993-07-31) 31 July 1993 (age 30)
Lugnvik, Sweden
Height 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight 212 lb (96 kg; 15 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Catches Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Boston Bruins
Modo Hockey
Buffalo Sabres
National team  Sweden
NHL draft 163rd overall, 2012
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2011–present

Linus Ullmark (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈliːnus ˈulmɑːrk];[1] born 31 July 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the sixth round, 163rd overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. With the Bruins during the 2022–23 season, Ullmark led the NHL in wins, goals against average, and save percentage, scored an empty net goal, and won both the William M. Jennings Trophy and Vezina Trophy, the former being shared with his teammate Jeremy Swayman.

Playing career[edit]

Buffalo Sabres[edit]

On 27 May 2014, Ullmark was signed by the Buffalo Sabres to a three-year, entry-level contract. He was returned on loan to Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the 2014–15 season.[2]

In his first season in North America, Ullmark attended the Sabres' training camp. After recovery from an early injury, he was assigned to begin the 2015–16 season with the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League (AHL). Ullmark played in three games before being recalled to the Sabres on 23 October 2015. He made his NHL debut the following day, making 24 saves in a 4–3 defeat to the New Jersey Devils.[3] His first victory came in his second start, a 3–1 win over the Philadelphia Flyers.[4]

Ullmark would spend majority of the subsequent season with the Americans, amassing a record of 26–27–2. He appeared in one game for the Sabres, falling 4–2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning. On 13 June 2017, the Sabres re-signed Ullmark to a two-year, $1.5 million contract with an annual average of $750,000.[5]

Ullmark joined the Sabres full-time during the 2018–19 season. In his season debut on 13 October, he recorded his first career NHL shutout, stopping all 36 shots faced in a 3–0 win over the Arizona Coyotes.[6] On 22 December, Ullmark stopped all 40 shots faced to shut out the Anaheim Ducks 3–0.[7] Overall, he recorded a 15–14–5 record in 37 games while backing up Carter Hutton.

On 3 August 2019, the Sabres re-signed Ullmark to a one-year, $1.325 million contract.[8] On 25 October 2020, Ullmark signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Sabres.

Boston Bruins[edit]

On 28 July 2021, Ullmark left the Sabres as a free agent and signed a four-year, $20 million contract to be the starting goaltender with the Boston Bruins.[9]

Ullmark played his first regular season game for the Bruins on 22 October 2021, a 4–1 win against the Sabres.[10] Although rookie Jeremy Swayman started the first couple games of the season, Ullmark started most of the games before Tuukka Rask's return from injury, until which Swayman was sent to the AHL and Ullmark assumed backup duties. However, Rask's return was short-lived, as he retired after four starts, and Ullmark took over the starting netminder job, although both Swayman and Ullmark started 39 games each during the season and formed a great tandem, a sign of things to come. Ullmark was named as the starting goaltender for the Bruins for their first round series against the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. However, Ullmark would struggle in the first two games, as he let up four goals in both games, both of which were losses. As a result, the team opted to start Swayman starting in Game 3, who would start the rest of the series, which the Bruins would lose in seven.

The 2022–23 season was a historic one for the Bruins, and for Ullmark, who formed the best goaltending tandem in the league with Swayman. Ullmark and Swayman's post-victory "goalie hug" embrace became a widely-covered team ritual.[11][12] Ullmark was named one of three Boston Bruins representatives to the 2023 NHL All–Star Weekend, joining head coach Jim Montgomery and teammate David Pastrňák. Ullmark notched his 100th career win on 19 January, saving 25 of 26 shots against the New York Islanders.[13] On 25 February, he became the thirteenth NHL goaltender to score a goal, and the first since Pekka Rinne in 2020, as he shot the puck directly into the Vancouver Canucks' empty net with less than one minute remaining in the Bruins' 3–1 win.[14] The Bruins finished the regular season with new records in both wins (65) and points (135), winning the Presidents' Trophy. Ullmark and Swayman together received the William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltending tandem to allow the fewest goals. Their 177 goals against across 82 games was 36 fewer than the second-place Carolina Hurricanes.[15][16] Ullmark's personal record was 40–6–1 and, he led the NHL in GAA (1.89) and save percentage (.938). He was named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.[17] The Bruins entered the 2023 Stanley Cup playoffs as the favourites for the championship. However, they were ousted in the first round by the Florida Panthers, squandering a 3–1 series lead in the process. Much recrimination ensued about Montgomery's coaching decisions, in particular the choice to depart from the team's regular season goalie rotation in favour of playing Ullmark exclusively despite him dealing with an injury. Ullmark was ultimately pulled after Game 6, after he had allowed seven goals in the game.[18][19] Ullmark defended Montgomery, saying "something that everybody does when things aren't going the way they want to is they're trying to find a scapegoat."[20]

Although Ullmark, as expected, entered the 2023-24 season as Boston's "1A" goaltender, Swayman's play saw him get an uptick in starts. As was established in the previous two seasons, however, the two still split relatively even starts, which Ullmark starting 39 games to Swayman's 43. Around the trade deadlines, rumors swirled that Ullmark would get dealt.[1] Shortly after the deadline passed, it was reported that the Bruins had a deal in place to trade away Ullmark, but Ullmark had invoked his no trade clause to stay with the Bruins.[2] It was not revealed what the deal was or who the team that the Bruins had a deal with was. The supposed deal seemed to spark a fire under Ullmark, who finished off his season with the Bruins on a strong note, recording a 1.90 GAA and .935 save percentage in his final nine games after the deadline. Come playoff time, there was once again a question of which goaltender the Bruins would choose, and how they would approach the situation. For the first time in his Bruins tenure, Ullmark did not play Game 1 of the opening round, with the Bruins opting to go with Swayman for Game 1 of their first round matchup against the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, attempting to learn from past mistakes, Montgomery and the Bruins started Ullmark in Game 2. However, Swayman took over the net for the rest of the series starting in Game 3, helping the Bruins to a series victory in seven games. Swayman would also earn the start in the following series rematch against the Panthers, although Ullmark came in relief for Swayman in a chippy Game 2 loss.

Personal life[edit]

Ullmark is a fan of esports, and of Dota 2 in particular. On 18 March 2019, he appeared on a Dota 2 podcast where he discussed the differences between playing Dota and ice hockey, as well as comparisons between the professional scenes of competitive gaming and traditional sports.[21]

Career statistics[edit]

Regular season and playoffs[edit]

Bold indicates led league

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2010–11 Modo Hockey J20 1 1 0 0 60 2 0 2.00 .923 — — — — — — — —
2011–12 Modo Hockey J20 25 14 11 0 1,521 70 1 2.76 .918 5 3 1 242 9 1 2.24 .927
2011–12 Modo Hockey SEL 3 0 2 0 148 8 0 3.24 .890 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 Modo Hockey J20 23 18 5 0 1,352 46 2 2.04 .924 5 4 1 250 8 1 1.39 .947
2012–13 Mora IK Allsv 6 4 2 0 343 12 0 2.10 .904 — — — — — — — —
2012–13 Modo Hockey SEL 6 3 1 0 320 11 0 2.07 .934 2 1 1 133 3 0 1.47 .955
2013–14 Modo Hockey SHL 35 17 16 0 2,043 71 3 2.08 .931 2 0 2 127 9 0 4.24 .899
2014–15 Modo Hockey SHL 35 12 20 0 1,926 100 1 3.12 .905 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Rochester Americans AHL 28 10 16 0 1,582 90 0 3.41 .902 — — — — — — — —
2015–16 Buffalo Sabres NHL 20 8 10 2 1,131 49 0 2.60 .913 — — — — — — — —
2016–17 Rochester Americans AHL 55 26 27 2 3,202 153 1 2.87 .909 — — — — — — — —
2016–17 Buffalo Sabres NHL 1 0 1 0 59 3 0 3.06 .917 — — — — — — — —
2017–18 Rochester Americans AHL 44 21 12 10 2,579 105 2 2.44 .922 3 0 3 175 16 0 5.50 .800
2017–18 Buffalo Sabres NHL 5 1 2 0 240 8 0 2.00 .935 — — — — — — — —
2018–19 Buffalo Sabres NHL 37 15 14 5 2,103 109 2 3.11 .905 — — — — — — — —
2019–20 Buffalo Sabres NHL 34 17 14 3 2,027 91 1 2.69 .915 — — — — — — — —
2020–21 Buffalo Sabres NHL 20 9 6 3 1,118 49 0 2.63 .917 — — — — — — — —
2021–22 Boston Bruins NHL 41 26 10 2 2,331 95 1 2.45 .917 2 0 2 116 8 0 4.16 .860
2022–23 Boston Bruins NHL 49 40 6 1 2,883 91 2 1.89 .938 6 3 3 360 20 0 3.33 .896
2023–24 Boston Bruins NHL 40 22 10 7 2,400 103 2 2.57 .915
SHL totals 79 32 39 0 4,437 190 4 2.56 .922 4 1 3 260 12 0 2.77 .916
NHL totals 247 138 73 23 14,288 598 8 2.51 .918 8 3 5 476 28 0 3.54 .888
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Minsk

International[edit]

Year Team Event Result GP W L OT MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2014 Sweden WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) — — — — — — — — —
2022 Sweden WC 6th 3 1 2 0 186 7 1 2.26 .920
Senior totals 3 1 2 0 186 7 1 2.26 .920

Honours and awards[edit]

Award / honour Year
NHL
NHL All-Star Game 2023
William M. Jennings Trophy 2023 [22]
Vezina Trophy 2023
NHL First All-Star Team 2023 [23]
Boston Bruins
Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy 2023 [24]
Bruins Three Stars Awards 2023 [24]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "2021-22 NHL Pronunciation Guide" (PDF). National Hockey League. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Sabres sign Ullmark to three-year entry level contract". Buffalo Sabres. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  3. ^ "Devils defeat Sabres for fourth win in a row". National Hockey League. 24 October 2015. Retrieved 24 October 2015.
  4. ^ "O'Reilly, Eichel get Sabres over Flyers 3-1". USA Today. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  5. ^ "Sabres re-sign Ullmark to two-year deal". The Sports Network. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 13 June 2017.
  6. ^ Callari, Jenna (14 October 2018). "A night of firsts for Dahlin and Ullmark as Sabres beat Coyotes 3-0". WKBW Buffalo. Retrieved 14 October 2018.
  7. ^ Lysowski, Lance. "Sabres fend off third-period rally, shut out Ducks, 3-0, to end losing streak". Buffalo News. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  8. ^ "Ullmark agrees to 1-year contract". Buffalo Sabres. Retrieved 3 August 2019.
  9. ^ "Bruins announce free agent signings and transactions". Boston Bruins. 28 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Coyle, Ullmark lead Bruins to 4-1 win over Sabres". ESPN. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
  11. ^ Murphy, Bryan (19 April 2023). "Bruins goalie hug, explained: How Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman's embrace has become Boston winning tradition". The Sporting News. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  12. ^ Goss, Nick (14 April 2023). "How Ullmark and Swayman made NHL history by winning Jennings Trophy". NBC Sports. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  13. ^ "Ullmark dominates for Bruins to beat Islanders, earn 100th career win". RSN. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  14. ^ Woodley, Kevin (25 February 2023). "Ullmark scores, Bruins defeat Canucks for 6th straight win". NHL.com. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  15. ^ Hurley, Michael (14 April 2023). "Linus Ullmark, Jeremy Swayman finish season with historically absurd gap over rest of NHL". NBC Sports. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  16. ^ "Ullmark, Swayman Win William M. Jennings Trophy". NHL.com. 14 April 2023. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  17. ^ Satriano, David (11 May 2023). "Hellebuyck, Sorokin, Ullmark named Vezina Trophy finalists". NHL.com. Retrieved 11 May 2023.
  18. ^ Shinzawa, Fluto (1 May 2023). "Bruins coach Jim Montgomery made too many wrong moves to overcome". The Athletic. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  19. ^ Roche, Scott (1 May 2023). "Blame for Bruins' Playoff Collapse Spreads Deep in Locker Room". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  20. ^ Ryan, Conor (3 May 2023). "Linus Ullmark offers support for Jim Montgomery amid criticism for Bruins' first-round exit". Boston.com. Retrieved 5 May 2023.
  21. ^ moonducktv (18 March 2019), Trent & Zyori Podcast #142 w/ Linus Ullmark, retrieved 28 April 2019
  22. ^ "NHL William M. Jennings Trophy Winners". NHL.com. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  23. ^ https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-announces-2022-23-first-and-second-all-star-teams/c-345029890
  24. ^ a b "Boston Bruins Announce 2022-23 Season Awards". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 April 2023.

External links[edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by William M. Jennings Trophy
2022–23
With: Jeremy Swayman 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Winner of the Vezina Trophy
2023 		Incumbent
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