Filip Gustavsson

Filip Gustavsson was born June 7, 1998, in Skellefteå, Sweden, and was selected 55th overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft. His path to becoming a full-time NHL starter wound through the Swedish Hockey League with Luleå HF before he arrived in North America, and his NHL debut came not with Pittsburgh but with the Ottawa Senators — the organization that eventually held his rights.

With Ottawa, Gustavsson's appearances were limited. He played nine games in the shortened 2020-21 season, going 5-1 with a 2.16 goals-against average and a .933 save percentage. The following full season told a different story: 18 games, a 3.55 GAA and a .892 save percentage behind a rebuilding Senators squad. That Ottawa chapter closed in the summer of 2022 when he was acquired by the Minnesota Wild.

The move to Minnesota marked a turning point in Gustavsson's career record. In his first full season with the Wild, 2022-23, he appeared in 39 games, went 22-9, posted a 2.10 GAA and a .931 save percentage, and recorded 3 shutouts. The following season, 2023-24, brought more starts — 45 games — alongside a 3.06 GAA and a .899 save percentage with 3 shutouts, and a record of 20 wins against 18 losses. In 2024-25 he appeared in a career-high 58 games, finished 31-19, lowered his GAA to 2.56 and his save percentage to .914, and added 5 shutouts. Through the 2025-26 season, he has played 50 games for Minnesota, going 28-15 with a 2.69 GAA, a .904 save percentage, and 4 shutouts.

Across 219 NHL regular-season games, Gustavsson's career totals stand at 111 wins, 74 losses, 26 overtime losses, a 2.67 GAA, a .911 save percentage, and 15 shutouts. On October 15, 2024, he became the 15th goaltender in NHL history to score a goaltender goal, in a 4-1 Wild victory over the St. Louis Blues.

InGoal Magazine has covered Filip Gustavsson in one podcast appearance and one Pro Read. Kevin Woodley's Pro Read, available to InGoal subscribers, brought Gustavsson in front of the camera to review video in the Wild locker room during a visit to Vancouver ^[1]. The session centered on how Gustavsson manages plays originating from behind the net — specifically the relationship between his head movement, his post position, and his timing when the puck is transferred to the front of the ice. Gustavsson also addressed the topic in his own words during that session, explaining his sequencing: "First thing I do is always, you don't move your body as much, just move your eyes and your head." The full breakdown, including video replay and Gustavsson's detailed walkthrough of the sequence, is available to InGoal members ^[1].

Gustavsson also appeared on episode 294 of the InGoal Radio podcast alongside hosts Kevin Woodley and David Hutchison ^[2]. His name also surfaced during the same episode in a broader discussion of adjusted save percentage rankings across the NHL, where Woodley placed Gustavsson among the top performers league-wide at that point in the 2024-25 season ^[2].

The Pro Read session also carried a notable footnote: recently retired goaltender Marc-André Fleury had specifically cited Gustavsson's post play as something he paid attention to and tried to learn from during his own career ^[1]. Gustavsson wears number 32 for the Wild and catches left. He stands 6'2" and weighs 184 pounds.