Swedish goalie commits to UMD men
Some keen observers on social media noticed a new, unreported recruit on a line chart recently.
Goaltender Carl Axelsson of Danderyd, Sweden, has indeed committed to the Bulldogs men’s hockey program, the News Tribune has confirmed through a source. Axelsson’s father, Niklas, played a couple seasons for the Bulldogs from 1993-95.
Axelsson turns 18 in November. The 6-foot-4, 183-pound goalie will play for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League in 2024-25 and he will likely be popping up on 2025 NHL draft rankings at some point this season.
Axelsson, a member of Sweden’s Under-18 national team, backstopped Skelleftea AIK to a title in Sweden last season with a .893 save percentage, 3.12 goals against average and two shutouts. The team was 22-10 with him as the goalie of record, and went 8-1 in the postseason when Axelsson elevated his save percentage to .913 and dropped his GAA to 2.53.
The Bulldogs brought in two freshmen goaltenders this fall in Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Adam Gajan of Slovakia and Klayton Knapp. With three years of junior eligibility in front of him, Axelsson will likely come in whenever the Blackhawks decide to sign Gajan. That will likely happen following the 2025-26 or 2026-27 season.
Some keen observers on social media noticed a new, unreported recruit on a line chart recently.
Goaltender Carl Axelsson of Danderyd, Sweden, has indeed committed to the Bulldogs men’s hockey program, the News Tribune has confirmed through a source. Axelsson’s father, Niklas, played a couple seasons for the Bulldogs from 1993-95.
Axelsson turns 18 in November. The 6-foot-4, 183-pound goalie will play for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League in 2024-25 and he will likely be popping up on 2025 NHL draft rankings at some point this season.
Axelsson, a member of Sweden’s Under-18 national team, backstopped Skelleftea AIK to a title in Sweden last season with a .893 save percentage, 3.12 goals against average and two shutouts. The team was 22-10 with him as the goalie of record, and went 8-1 in the postseason when Axelsson elevated his save percentage to .913 and dropped his GAA to 2.53.
The Bulldogs brought in two freshmen goaltenders this fall in Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Adam Gajan of Slovakia and Klayton Knapp. With three years of junior eligibility in front of him, Axelsson will likely come in whenever the Blackhawks decide to sign Gajan. That will likely happen following the 2025-26 or 2026-27 season.
