Cult of Hockey prospect series 2025: #7, Samuel Jonsson
21 years old, 6’5″, 201 lbs., drafted 158th in 2022.
When it comes to the Edmonton Oilers, the team likes its goalies big.
If you’re a solid goalie drafted by the Oilers but only about 6-feet tall, good luck to you. Even if you did well in major junior hockey or a European league, you’re not likely to make it in Edmonton.
But if you’re 6-feet 3-inches or taller, you’ve got a shot at an Oilers job. That doesn’t mean you’ll thrive in the job. And it doesn’t mean the Oilers will appreciate what they have in you. In fact, one of the most glaring mistakes that put the Oilers on the crooked path that ended with the pot of gold of the McDavid lottery win was a mistake around a great big goalie.
But, as mentioned, the Oilers like their goalies big, and that’s good news for Edmonton top two goalie prospects, 6-foot, 4-inch Nathaniel Day, ranked #17 for Oilers prospects, and today’s goalie of interest, new signing 6-foot, 5-inch Samuel Jonsson, ranked seventh overall.
Jonsson signed with the Oilers this spring after being named the goalie of the year in the Swedish second division. He’s not only big, he put up big numbers as a pro, a .922 save percentage in 24 games. He’s now on a three year Entry Level Contract and is a decent bet to make the Oilers down the road.
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Big goalie with big numbers have enticed the Oilers in recent decades, starting with high draft picks 6-foot, 6-inch Devan Dubnyk (14th overall in 2004) and 6-foot, 4-inch Jeff Drouin Deslauriers (31st overall in 2002).
JDD developed faster than Dubnyk and became a strong AHL goalie, but struggled with the speed of the NHL game. Dubnyk needed four full years in the minors, but in his first nine full NHL seasons, Dubnyk put together a string of eight good-to-great seasons. Unfortunately, his one poor season in that string, 2013-14, saw the Oilers give up on him and trade him away, helping perpetuate the mess that led to the team winning the right to draft McDavid.
After JDD and Dubnyk, the Oilers embraced two more big goalie prospects, first Laurent Brossoit, then Stuart Skinner. Through that time a number of smaller goalie prospects — Tyler Bunz, Olivier Roy, Eetu Laurikainen, Ilya Konovalov, and Olivier Rodrigue — sometimes showed promise, but not one of them made his mark in Edmonton.
As for Jonsson, the Oilers took him over any number of small goalies the same age with much better stats largely because Edmonton saw promise in him and his 6-foot, 5-inch frame.
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When he was drafted, then Oilers head amateur scout Tyler Wright said of the player: “He was one of our targets and we lucked out in getting him where we got him.
And draft expert Steve Kournianos: “Oilers take Brynas J20 goalie Samuel Jonsson. Was Ok this season TBH but they must like his size (6-4, or 6-5).”
In December 2022, writer Jason Bukala of Sportsnet said that Jonsson has upside. “He’s a good size goalie who plays a hybrid style. He relies on sitting tall in his butterfly and absorbing pucks by being properly square to the shot… My biggest concern is his lateral tracking and overall quickness. He has a very difficult time moving quickly from side to side when players skate behind his net looking to stuff pucks far post. His second stop reaction and scramble ability are lethargic. He has time on his side, but he will need to move up the ranks in Sweden and show he can adjust to the speed of the men’s game.”
Last summer, the Cult’s Bruce McCurdy noted Jonsson’s slow progress, which saw him ranked 29th overall on our prospect list: “He was lightly used in the Swedish second and third divisions, playing 8 games in all with a combined .861 save percentage. Not much sign of progress. He’s slated to play with BIK Karlskoga in HockeyAllsvenskan (second division) in 2024-25, though he may well bounce around some more. Oilers have two more seasons before needing to reach a decision.”
But this past year Jonsson lit it up for BIK Karlskoga.
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic ranked him the ninth best Oilers prospect last January: “Jonsson has had a really positive season… He’s a massive goalie (6-foot-5/6 depending on who you ask) who has refined his coordination and control, footwork and habits to complement his natural ability for his size.”
And Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff said this past April: “The 21-year-old stands tall at 6-foot-5, and it feels like he really started to learn how to use his size to his advantage this year… He primarily backed up Norwegian veteran Lars Volden, but Jonsson often outplayed him this season. Oilers fans are excited about him due to his strong play at a young age, and I’m excited to see how he uses his quick footwork to his advantage on North American ice.”
Reasonable expectations for 2025-26: That Jonsson win a job in Bakersfield of the AHL and post the highest save percentage of any of the organization’s AHL goalies.
At the Cult of Hockey
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Cult of Hockey prospect series 2025
Forwards: Maxim Berezkin (3rd), William Nicholl (9th), Roby Jarventie (11th), Viljami Marjala (12th), Connor Clattenburg (13th), Tommy Lafreniere (14th). David Lewandowski (15th)
Dmen: Atro Leppanen (10th) Paul Fischer (16th), Nikita Yevseyev (18th), Asher Barnett (19th)
Goalies: Nathaniel Day (17th), Eemil Vinni (20th)