Victor Ostman

Victor Östman grew up in Danderyd, Sweden, and took an unconventional path to North American professional hockey — one that ran through junior hockey in Chicago, a college career in Maine, and eventually a callup to the Seattle Kraken. InGoal Magazine has covered Victor Ostman in one podcast appearance.

When a pro contract in Sweden's second tier didn't materialize, Östman opted to cross the Atlantic and join the Chicago Steel of the USHL. Speaking on InGoal Radio ^[1], he described the move as something he found exciting rather than daunting: "I just wanted to get a fresh start, go to a country where no one really has seen me... I was excited about that and just making a name for myself."

From Chicago, he committed to the University of Maine, a decision he traced directly to goaltending coach Alfie Michaud. "Honestly, Alfie was probably the biggest reason I went to Maine because, like, he went out to Chicago and he visited me and I could tell that he was really interested," Östman said on the podcast ^[1]. The presence of a dedicated full-time goalie coach mattered to him, and watching what Michaud had done with Jeremy Swayman served as an additional draw. The climate around Orono also felt familiar: "It was very similar to Sweden, like, in terms of the climate, and I just felt like home."

Michaud's coaching style proved different from what Östman had experienced in Sweden. He described Swedish goalie coaches as mentors who take the goalie's side, while Michaud applied pressure more like a head coach. The adjustment took time. Östman recalled early conversations in which Michaud held him accountable for communication breakdowns — a two-on-one where he hadn't called out the shooter's handedness, or a slot presence he hadn't relayed to his defenseman — saying he initially pushed back before coming to value the mindset ^[1].

On the technical side, Östman credits ankle flexibility as a foundation of his skating, something he described as partly natural and partly developed through calf-strengthening work and single-leg exercises. He wears True two-piece skates, leaves the first eyelet open, and sharpens at three-eighths, preferring not to tie too tightly around the ankle ^[1]. Over roughly the past two years before the podcast recording, he said he moved away from relying primarily on the T-push toward incorporating more shuffles and C-cuts: "I used to like, so when I got to The States and I realized I needed to get better on my feet, I would be that goalie that would like T-push everywhere... I realized that a lot of times it's better to like just be a little smoother, a little more fluid." He cited backward flow — an emphasis Michaud also places — as a reason the shuffle allows him to adjust when plays change mid-movement ^[1].

Growing up, Östman studied Henrik Lundqvist and Carey Price. Of Price, he said: "I just wanted to look like Carey Price when I was younger... I wanna make everything as simple as possible. And I think Carey Price is probably one of the best goalies ever to make it just simplify the game" ^[1]. That principle of simplification, he said, has remained central to how he approaches his position.

His first professional season brought a sequence of firsts. He played at three different professional levels, including a callup to the Seattle Kraken. The call came the morning of a game: he was told at the rink before practice, flew out the same day, went straight from the airport to the arena, and entered a game the Kraken trailed 7-1. "I got nothing to lose at that point," he said. "I was more excited to get the opportunity than... nervous or scared" ^[1]. That appearance now stands as his lone NHL game on record, with a .9429 save percentage in one game played during the 2025-26 season.

That season also produced a goalie fight — something Östman had not anticipated. In a game his team led by a wide margin, the opposing goalie became involved in a scrum and eventually squared up with him at center ice. After the fight, Östman went to the training room to be patched up, unaware that a ECHL rule allows goalies to return to the game if theirs is the only fight in a stoppage. It was teammate Daniel Amesbury who knew the rule, informed the coaching staff, and had to persuade the referees — who looked it up mid-game — before Östman was waved back onto the ice to a crowd that booed him. "It was awesome," he said ^[1].

Östman, who stands 6'4" and weighs 205 pounds, is a left-catching goaltender who wears number 1 for Seattle. He turned 25 in October 2024.