Imagine this scenario, my friend. You're a minor league goaltender who spent some time in the AHL last season. You've played three games and posted a GAA of 4.02 with a save percentage of .883. However, your ECHL numbers aren't impressive, either.
Here, you have a GAA of 3.19 with a save percentage of .897 in 42 games. Granted, you did get a shutout for your troubles. But you're suddenly overlooked for the shiny new toys in Akira Schmid, Cameron Whitehead, and Carl Lindbom.
On top of that, those three games are a stark contrast from the 19 games you spent with the AHL franchise the year prior. Something is amiss and it could end up hurting your hockey career! That's not mentioning that your NHL organization is loaded with viable goaltenders. What's a young prospect to do in this scenario?
That's the case for Jesper Vikman, who's heading into his fourth season with the Henderson Silver Knights. The 23-year-old is running out of time to make it onto the Golden Knights roster, leaving him between a rock and a hard place.
On top of that, the Stockholm native is a restricted free agent in 2026. What will Kelly McCrimmon do with a loaded goaltender room that features Lindbom and Whitehead? In a prospect system that isn't appealing to many scouts, the goaltender room has been the lone bright spot, with Vikman just being a warm body.
Will Jesper Vikman be on the Vegas Golden Knights roster next season?
No (unless an injury happens, of course). Do I believe he'll hold a spot in the lower ranks of the organization? Absolutely. It doesn't matter if it's with the Tahoe Knight Monsters or the Henderson Silver Knights. I'm betting that Vikman will be returning in some capacity next season.
However, he's faced with an uphill battle of grabbing a roster spot with the Golden Knights. As mentioned, Carl Lindbom and Cameron Whitehead are quickly on the rise. They're expected to eventually fill those roster spots in the future and become Golden Knights.
But merely having good goalie prospects isn't the only problem. It's also Vegas becoming comfortable with Adin Hill and Akira Schmid. Schmid looked solid in his limited time with the organization last season, even standing toe-to-toe with the Colorado Avalanche in a regular season game.
That's not even mentioning the six-year deal that Hill got in March. With a career year in net (2.47 GAA, four shutouts, and a save percentage of .906), the Calgary native became the go-to option for Bruce Cassidy and company. Where does that leave Vikman? On the outside looking in, of course.
The good news is he still has some time to figure things out. I've mentioned numerous times how age can benefit a young player if they learn from their mistakes. That's no different for the 23-year-old, who can thrive by making a few adjustments. Who knows? He could lead the Knight Monsters or the Silver Knights to a championship.