Jeremy Swayman

Born in Anchorage, Alaska on November 24, 1998, Jeremy Swayman grew up in a state not typically associated with producing NHL goaltenders — but the path from Alaska to Boston was built methodically, one level at a time. The Boston Bruins selected him in the fourth round, 111th overall, of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and by the spring of 2021 he was in their net.

Swayman played three seasons of college hockey at the University of Maine, where goaltending coach Alfie Michaud — himself a former Black Bear who went on to a 15-year pro career — shaped much of his foundational development. In his third and final season with Maine, the 2019–20 campaign, Swayman posted a .939 save percentage and 2.07 goals-against average, earning both the Hockey East Player of the Year award and the Mike Richter Award as the top collegiate goaltender in the country. InGoal Magazine first spoke with Swayman alongside Michaud shortly after that award, on episode 67 of the InGoal Radio podcast ^[1].

The development work at Maine ran deeper than statistics. Michaud used strings, moveable external posts, and the concept of Box Control to address a tendency Swayman had identified in his own game. "Truthfully, I did get extended a lot and I would end up doing a big butterfly slide from one dot to the other and I'd end up outside the post when it just really wasn't necessary, because I do have a big frame and I know that I can cover net without doing extremely big acrobatic moves," Swayman said ^[2]. The drills — progressing from static shots to rush chances to opponent power-play simulations — reinforced that being set mattered more than over-challenging. "The big thing I learned is you can't make a save when you're moving as good as you can when you're set," Swayman said ^[2]. InGoal has a full breakdown of that net control work, available to subscribers ^[2].

Hand-eye coordination was another focus during the Maine years. Swayman and teammate Matthew Thiessen — a Vancouver Canucks draft pick — used the SKLZ Lightning Bolt Pro pitching machine regularly, and Swayman credited the work with changing how he tracked pucks. "I used to fight pucks off a lot and that's just not necessary, so just seeing the puck all the way in and tracking, it really helped me," he said ^[3]. He liked the machine enough to order one for his summer training in Alaska ahead of his first pro camp with the Bruins ^[3].

Swayman left Maine after three seasons and signed with Boston, though the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the start of his professional career to the 2020–21 season. He opened that year with the Providence Bruins in the AHL, posting an 8-1-0 record and a .933 save percentage before being called up to Boston in April when the Bruins' primary goaltenders were sidelined. In 10 NHL games that season he went 7-3 with a 1.50 GAA and .945 save percentage, adding two shutouts. Head coach Bruce Cassidy named him Tuukka Rask's backup for the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, though Swayman appeared in just one postseason game.

With Rask and then Jaroslav Halák departing in successive offseasons, Swayman moved into a full tandem arrangement with veteran Linus Ullmark beginning in 2021–22. In his first full NHL season he appeared in 41 games, going 23-14 with a 2.41 GAA, .914 save percentage, and three shutouts. The 2022–23 season brought the pair to the forefront of the league: Swayman went 24-6 in 37 games with a 2.27 GAA, .920 save percentage, and four shutouts, and together he and Ullmark won the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL. InGoal Magazine spent time with both goalies and coach Bob Essensa during that season, capturing an on-ice session that became a Pro Drills breakdown for subscribers, in which Swayman described reading the threat in down-low situations. "You want to make sure there's variability. That's what they do in this League, they get open and guys can make passes through skates and sticks," Swayman said ^[4].

Swayman's own pre-game preparation drew InGoal's attention as far back as December 2021, when Kevin Woodley observed him finishing a morning skate with a specific drill he had started at the University of Maine and continued with Essensa on game days in Boston. Essensa explained his thinking on what the drill accomplished mechanically, and Swayman described it as both a recovery and a control exercise. That full breakdown, including Essensa's commentary on how and why it differs from Ullmark's routine, is available to InGoal subscribers ^[5].

In 2023–24 Swayman appeared in 44 games, going 25-10 with a 2.53 GAA, .916 save percentage, and three shutouts — his second-highest win total and second-lowest GAA across full NHL seasons. The 2024–25 season brought a heavier workload and different results: 58 games, a 22-29 record, 3.11 GAA, .892 save percentage, and four shutouts, his first losing record and highest GAA as an NHL starter. Through the 2025–26 season, with 55 games played, he sits at 31-18 with a 2.71 GAA, .908 save percentage, and two shutouts. Across 245 career NHL regular-season games, Swayman holds a 132-80-26 record, a 2.61 GAA, .910 save percentage, and 18 shutouts.

InGoal returned to Swayman on episode 189 of the InGoal Radio podcast in October 2022, where he spoke with Kevin Woodley about the lessons he gathered along the way — including his work with Michaud, Tuukka Rask, and Bruins goaltending coach Bob Essensa — in what Woodley described as a half-hour conversation covering his path from the decision to turn pro to becoming an established NHL goaltender ^[6].

When a video of Swayman performing a ball drop drill as part of his pre-game warm-up circulated on social media, InGoal brought in goalie vision training expert Josh Tucker of True Focus Vision to break down the exercise and develop a progression other goalies could follow. That breakdown, including Tucker's coaching notes and video demonstrations, is available on InGoal's site ^[7].

In January 2025, InGoal published an excerpt from The Power Within III — a book co-authored by Justin Goldman and Mike Valley — featuring Swayman's account of his goaltending partnership with Ullmark. In a conversation with Valley, Swayman described what made that pairing function: "What I love about Linus most is that when we talked, it would always be a somewhat productive conversation for the both of us. And more importantly, for the team" ^[8]. He also addressed how the competitive dynamic in practice drove both goalies, and how he intended to bring the same approach to his partnership with Joonas Korpisalo. The full chapter, which also includes his longtime coach Alfie Michaud and covers topics from earning confidence to NHL lifestyle lessons from Bruins veterans, is available in the book itself — and InGoal members can access an exclusive excerpt ^[8].

InGoal Magazine has covered Jeremy Swayman in two podcast appearances, four drill breakdowns, and two InGoal articles.