From a cut local prospect to a record-breaking NHL goalie
In short: Jeremy Swayman's path to the NHL wasn't a straight line. After being rejected by his hometown team, he navigated the junior leagues and college ranks to become a cornerstone of a historic Boston Bruins era, eventually helping set franchise records for wins and points.
Born in Anchorage, Alaska, Jeremy Swayman first took up goaltending at age five. His journey faced an early hurdle when he was cut from the Kenai River Brown Bears because the team preferred two older goaltenders. To enter the Rocky Mountain Junior Hockey League's Pikes Peak Miners, he required assistance from friends of his family. During his 18 games there, he posted a .940 save percentage and a 1.79 goals against average.
Swayman's trajectory accelerated in the United States Hockey League with the Sioux Falls Stampede. After leading all USHL goaltenders in preseason save percentage, he was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL entry draft. He chose to play college hockey for the University of Maine, where he became a standout performer. He topped all NCAA Division I netminders by recording 1,099 saves during his final college year (2019–20), securing the Mike Richter Award as the country's premier goalie.
His professional debut was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, leading him to start in the AHL with the Providence Bruins. He eventually earned an NHL promotion in April 2021 due to injuries and illness among veterans. By the 2022–23 season, Swayman formed a historic goaltending tandem with Linus Ullmark. The duo assisted the Bruins in capturing the Presidents' Trophy with a historic 65 victories and 135 points, while also gaining the William M. Jennings Trophy for conceding the league's lowest number of goals.
theme-history mood-reflective difficulty-2
topics-hockey-sports-biography
claims-["Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska"", "Cut from his local Kenai River Brown Bears... Jennings Trophy for permitting the fewest goals throughout the 2022–23 campaign
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