Sweden won't bring Ullmark to Worlds despite goaltender's interest
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Ottawa Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark told reporters Saturday he had interest in playing for Sweden at the IIHF Men's World Championship but the country elected to go in another direction.
"I have the interest but they’ve decided not to go with me," Ullmark said Saturday at the team's end-of-season media availability.
The netminder added that he was disappointed with the decision because the event is co-hosted between Denmark and his native Sweden.
The 31-year-old had a .909 save percentage during the regular season along with a 2.72 goals-against average but his numbers slipped a bit during Ottawa's first-round series against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In six games, Ullmark's save percentage dipped to .880 and his GAA was 2.84 as the Sens lost the series 4-2. However, after allowing six goals in Game 1, Ullmark bounced back nicely and allowed just 12 the rest of the series, including a 29-save shutout in Game 5 that kept the Sens' season alive.
“I’ll be replaying how loud it was from the fans. The cheers and the support we got when we thanked the crowd, that’s what I’m going to put my emphasis on….These things, I’ll try to remember for next season and bring with me,” Ullmark said Thursday night after Game 6.
The Lugnvik, Sweden native is a veteran of 10 NHL seasons and just wrapped up his first year in Ottawa after being acquired in a trade with the Boston Bruins last summer. Ullmark spent his first six NHL seasons with the Buffalo Sabres and played his next three with the Bruins, winning the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's best goaltender during the 2022-23 campaign.
Ullmark owns a career save percentage of .917 and a GAA of 2.54 in 291 NHL regular season games.