Boston Bruins young goaltender Jeremy Swayman thought he was going to be a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs

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Josh tupper
August 19, 2023 (9:35)

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Almost every NHL player has a story of 'close, but not quite', the type of story where their entire NHL career is nearly altered by a simple situation. For some that comes via the form of free agency, for others it's via trade, but for Jeremy Swayman that story occurred at his very first NHL Entry Draft. Swayman shared this story during a recent appearance on the Empty Netters Podcast.

Heading into the 2017 NHL Draft, Swayman played for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL. In his draft season, Swayman posted a record of 7-18-3, a rather unimpressive total, but during that year he also secured a save percentage of .914 and a 2.90 goals against average. Both extremely impressive numbers on a losing team.

Heading into the draft Swayman hadn't received much interest, but one team continued to circle around him and remained in constant contact. That team was the Toronto Maple Leafs. As day 2 of the draft continued on, the Maple Leafs approached at pick 110, that was it, the moment Swayman thought his name might be called.

When pick 110 finally arrived the Maple Leafs did select a goalie, however it wouldn't be Swayman. Instead the Leafs opted for Ian Scott, from the Prince Albert Raiders. That's when Swayman believed that year wouldn't be his year.

The fourth round came and Toronto was up 110 and they picked a goalie. It was like �Alright, maybe not this year,' that kind of thing. Kind of bummed but at the same time hopeful still cause I talked to other teams.

It wouldn't take long for the young goaltenders' entire mood to turn around, because the Boston Bruins selected him one pick later, at pick 111. Swayman went onto detail the moment he found out he'd been selected.

I get a text and it's from my buddy actually from Alaska. He was at the draft and he said �Congrats Sway' and I'm like �What?'

My phone starts blowing up and it's real. Finally, I'm like reloading this thing on and on and on and it shows up. We had a pretty good celebration. It was totally unexpected which is the coolest part I think. You're so devastated for one second and the next second it's like a new world opens up. That was a pretty cool experience to share with them, and I'm glad it turned out the way it did.

Since being drafted Swayman has done nothing but continue to improve and he looks to take a huge step this year. Last season Swayman shared the Jennings Trophy with teammate Linus Ullmark. This season however, Swayman hopes to take a significant step forward and becomes an everyday starting goalie as he looks to enter his prime.