| Linus Ullmark | |||
|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) Ullmark with theRochester Americans in 2018 | |||
| Born | (1993-07-31)31 July 1993 (age 31) 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 | Ottawa Senators Modo Hockey Buffalo Sabres Boston Bruins | ||
| National team |  Sweden | ||
| NHL draft | 163rd overall,2012 Buffalo Sabres | ||
| Playing career | 2011–present | ||
Linus Ullmark (Swedish pronunciation:[ˈliːnusˈulmɑːrk];[1] born 31 July 1993) is a Swedish professionalice hockeygoaltender for theOttawa Senators of theNational Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by theBuffalo Sabres in the sixth round, 163rd overall, of the2012 NHL entry draft. With theBoston Bruins during the2022–23 season, Ullmark led the NHL in wins,goals against average, andsave percentage,scored an empty net goal, becoming the 13th NHL goaltender to do so, and won both theVezina Trophy andWilliam M. Jennings Trophy, the latter being shared with his teammateJeremy Swayman.
Ullmark began hisjunior career assigned toKramfors-Alliansen of the Swedish J18 Elit League in the 2008–09 season, despite remaining part ofModo's organization. However, when one of the goaltenders assigned to Modo'sJ20 team left, Ullmark rejoined Modo and appeared in one game in the 2009–10 season.[2][3] He remained with Modo's J20 team for the 2010–11 season, appearing in two games.[3] He split the 2011–12 season between Modo's J20 team and Modo's senior team in theSwedish Hockey League (SHL), playing 25 games in J20 and 3 games in the SHL. He split the 2012–13 season between Modo's J20 team, playing 25 games, registering a 2.04goals against average (GAA) and asave percentage 0.924,Mora IK in theHockeyAllsvenskan, playing six games with a GAA of 2.10 and a save percentage of 0.904 and six games with Modo's senior team, with a 2.07 GAA and a 0.934 save percentage. He added five games in the playoffs with Modo's senior team.[3] Ullmark played with Modo's senior team only in 2013–14 season, making 35 appearances, with a record of 17 wins and 16 losses (17–16–0), a GAA of 2.08 and a save percentage of 0.931.[3] For his play that season, he was awarded theHonken Trophy as the league's best goaltender.[2] He returned to Modo for the 2014–15 season playing 35 games, with a record of 12–20–0, a GAA of 3.12 and a save percentage of 0.904.[3]
In his first year eligible for theNational Hockey League (NHL)'sentry draft in2011, he was not among those chosen.[4] In the following2012 NHL entry draft, Ullmark was selected by theBuffalo Sabres in the sixth round, 163rd overall.[2] On 28 May 2014, Ullmark was signed by the Sabres to a three-year, entry-level contract.[5] In his first season in North America, Ullmark attended the Sabres' training camp. After recovery from an early injury, he was assigned to begin the2015–16 season with theRochester Americans of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL). Ullmark played in three games before being recalled to the Sabres on 23 October 2015, replacingNathan Lieuwen, who was sent to Rochester in his place.[6] He made his NHL debut the following day, making 24 saves in a 4–3 defeat to theNew Jersey Devils.[7] His first victory came in his second start, a 3–1 win over thePhiladelphia Flyers.[8] He appeared in 20 games with Buffalo, with a record of 8–10–2, a GAA of 2.60 and a save percentage of 0.913. In 28 games with Rochester he had a record of 10–16–0, a GAA of 3.41 and a save percentage of 0.902.[3]
Ullmark spent the majority of the subsequent2016–17 season with the Americans, amassing a record of 26–27–2, a 2.87 GAA and a save percentage of 0.909.[3] He was selected along with teammateCole Schneider to represent Rochester at the 2017AHL All-Star Classic.[9] He was recalled multiple times by Buffalo but only saw action at the end of season when he started in the Sabres' final game.[10][11][12] The Sabres fell 4–2 to theTampa Bay Lightning on 9 April 2017, with Ullmark stopping 33 of 37 shots.[12] On 13 June, the Sabres re-signed Ullmark to a two-year, $1.5 million contract.[13] In the2017–18 season, Ullmark once again spent the majority of the time with Rochester in the AHL, with a record of 21–12–4 in 44 games, a GAA of 2.44 and a save percentage of 0.922.[3] He represented Rochester at the 2018 AHL All-Star Classic alongside teammateC. J. Smith.[14] He was recalled to the Sabres for the first time on 8 January 2018 to replace an injuredRobin Lehner.[15] He started his first game of theNHL season on 11 January, earning his only victory in a 3–1 win over theColumbus Blue Jackets.[16] He returned to Rochester after Lehner recovered. He was recalled again in March as the Sabres carried three goaltenders on their, sharing the net with Lehner andChad Johnson.[17] He appeared in four more games, losing all four of them, before suffering aconcussion.[3][18] He finished his time with Buffalo with a 1–4–0 in five games, a GAA of 2.00 and a save percentage of 0.935.[3] After recovering Ullmark was sent back to Rochester after they qualified for the2018 Calder Cup playoffs. However, he fared less well, allowing 16 goals in three games as the Americans were swept by theSyracuse Crunch in their first round, best-of-five series.[19]
Ullmark joined the Sabres full-time during the2018–19 season after the Sabres let Lehner and Johnson depart as free agents.[20] 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 theArizona Coyotes.[21] On 22 December, Ullmark stopped all 40 shots faced to shut out theAnaheim Ducks 3–0.[22] Overall, in 37 games, he had a 15–14–5 record, with a GAA of 3.11 and a save percentage of 0.905 while sharing the net withCarter Hutton.[3][23] On 3 August 2019, the Sabres re-signed Ullmark to a one-year, $1.325 million contract.[24] In the following2019–20 season, again splitting the netminding duties with Hutton, Ullmark went winless in eleven games before suffering an injury to his right leg in a 5–2 loss to theOttawa Senators on 28 January 2020.[25] He returned to the lineup after missing 18 games on 9 March in a 3–2shootout win over theWashington Capitals, marking his final appearance before the NHL suspended the season due to theCOVID-19 pandemic on 12 March.[26][27] He finished the season with a record of 17–14–3, a GAA of 2.69 and a save percentage of 0.915.[3]
With the start of the2020–21 season delayed by the pandemic, Ullmark signed a one-year, $2.6 million contract with the Sabres on 26 October.[28] When the season began, Ullmark established himself as the Sabres' starting goaltender until suffering a lower-body injury on 25 February 2021. He missed 15 games before returning on 27 March, with Hutton,Dustin Tokarski andJonas Johansson sharing the net in his absence.[29] The Sabres lost all of the games he missed, plus three more after his return before Ullmark was in net on 31 March for a 6–1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers to stop their 18-game losing skid, the longest in the NHL since the2003–04 season.[30] However, his return was short-lived, after suffering another lower-body injury in his eighth game back on 13 April, missing the remainder of the season.[31] He finished the season with a record of 9–6–3 in 20 appearances, a GAA of 2.63 and a save percentage of 0.917.[3]
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 theBoston Bruins.[32] Ullmark played his first regular season game for the Bruins on 22 October, a 4–1 win against the Sabres.[33] Although rookieJeremy Swayman started the first couple games of the season, Ullmark started most of the games before t he Bruins previous starting goaltenderTuukka Rask's returned from injury in November. However, Ullmark retained his position as starting goaltender with Rask as his backup until February 2022, when Rask retired.[34] He recorded his first shutout with the Bruins his final game of the season on 28 April, a 5–0 win over the Sabres.[35] Ullmark finished the season with a record of 26–10–2 in 41 games, with a GAA of 2.45 and a save percentage of 0.917.[3] Ullmark was named as the starting goaltender for the Bruins for their first round, best-of-seven series against theCarolina Hurricanes in the2022 Stanley Cup playoffs. Ullmark struggled in the first two games, as he let in four goals in both games, both of which were losses. As a result, the team opted to start Swayman in Game 3, who started the rest of the series. The Bruins were eliminated by Carolina in Game 7.[36]
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The2022–23 season was a historic one for the Bruins. Ullmark and Swayman's post-victory "goalie hug" embrace became a widely-covered team ritual.[37][38] Ullmark was named one of three Boston representatives to the2023 NHL All–Star Weekend, joining head coachJim Montgomery and teammateDavid Pastrňák. Ullmark notched his 100th career win on 19 January, saving 25 of 26 shots against theNew York Islanders.[39] On 25 February, he became the thirteenthNHL goaltender to score a goal, and the first sincePekka Rinne in 2020, as he shot the puck directly into theVancouver Canucks' empty net with less than one minute remaining in the Bruins' 3–1 win.[40] The Bruins finished the regular season with new records in both wins (65) and points (135), winning thePresidents' Trophy. Ullmark and Swayman together received theWilliam M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltending tandem to allow the fewest goals against.[41][42] 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 theVezina Trophy as the league's best goaltender.[43] The Bruins entered the2023 Stanley Cup playoffs as the favourites for the championship. However, they were ousted in the first round by theFlorida Panthers, squandering a3–1 series lead in the process. Ullmark was ultimately pulled after Game 6, after he had allowed seven goals in the game.[44][45] Ullmark defended coach Montgomery, saying "something that everybody does when things aren't going the way they want to is they're trying to find a scapegoat."[46] Ullmark was named an NHL First Team All-Star on 26 June and the winner of the Vezina Trophy on 27 June.[47][48]
Although Ullmark entered the2023–24 season as Boston's starting 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, with Ullmark starting 39 games to Swayman's 43. Ullmark finished off the season on a strong note, recording a 1.90 GAA and .935 save percentage in his final nine games after the trade deadline. During the2024 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Bruins were eliminated in six games by the Panthers in the second round.[49]
On 24 June 2024, Ullmark was traded to theOttawa Senators in exchange forMark Kastelic,Joonas Korpisalo, and a2024 first-round pick.[50] Just prior to the start of the2024–25 season, despite still having one year left on his existing deal, Ullmark signed a four-year contract with the Senators on 9 October.[51] He made his Senators debut in the season opening 3–1 victory over the Florida Panthers on 10 October, also recording his first win with Ottawa.[52] On 12 November, he registered his first shutout with Ottawa in a 3–0 win over theToronto Maple Leafs.[53] He suffered an injury in a game against theMontreal Canadiens on 12 October and missed time, returning on 25 October.[54][55] He injured his back on 22 December in a 3–1 loss to theEdmonton Oilers.[56] He returned to the lineup on 4 February 2025 after missing 18 games.[57][58]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Sweden | ||
| Men'sice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2014 Minsk | |
Ullmark was selected to play forSweden's national team at the2014 IIHF World Championship inMinsk, Belarus. He did not play in the tournament, as he was the team's third goaltender behindAnders Nilsson andJoacim Eriksson. He was awarded a bronze medal after Sweden defeated theCzech Republic 3–0 on 25 May 2014 to finish third in the tournament.[59] He returned to the national team for the2022 IIHF World Championship inCologne, Germany. He made three appearances for Sweden in the tournament as the team was eliminated in the quarterfinals byCanada.[60][58]
Ullmark was named to Sweden's team for the 2025 debut of the4 Nations Face-Off on 4 December 2024.[58] Having just returned to the Senators' lineup due to a back injury, Ullmark was used asFilip Gustavsson's backup for the first two games of the tournament. However, Gustavsson left the second game with an illness and Ullmark entered the game, stopping 15 of 17 shots, as the team fell toFinland 4–3 in the game.[61] Facing elimination, Ullmark was expected to start the final game of theround-robin tournament against theUnited States, but due to an illness, was replaced with the team's third goaltender,Samuel Ersson.[62] The Swedes won the game, but failed to advance to the final after Canada beat Finland.[63]
Ullmark is a fan ofesports, and ofDota 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.[64]
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 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 77 | 5 | 0 | 3.90 | .886 | ||
| 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 | 10 | 3 | 6 | 552 | 33 | 0 | 3.59 | .887 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | W | L | OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sweden | WC |  | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| 2022 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 186 | 7 | 1 | 2.26 | .920 | |
| 2025 | Sweden | 4NF | 3rd | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 41 | 2 | 0 | 2.88 | .882 | |
| Senior totals | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 227 | 9 | 1 | 2.38 | .913 | ||||
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | William M. Jennings Trophy 2022–23 With:Jeremy Swayman | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Winner of theVezina Trophy 2023 | Succeeded by |