Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender Filip Larsson finds way to stand out

The conversation got off on the wrong foot immediately.

“Sergei, what has it been like getting used to North America?” a reporter asked.

“I’m Filip,” answered Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins goaltender Filip Larsson.

Largely overshadowed by fellow goaltender Sergei Murashov, Larsson was gracious with the confused Pittsburgh reporter who dashed into the auxiliary dressing room at Cranberry’s UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex after interviewing forward Vasily Ponomarev in a different part of the venue and then rushed to see a crowd gathered around one of the netminders who have sparked Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to a playoff berth this season.

Though Larsson is one of the AHL’s leaders in shutouts this season with five, he isn’t exactly the most celebrated occupant of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s crease this season.

Murashov, a Russian in his first year of North American hockey, has become one of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ top prospects, joining fellow goaltender Joel Blomqvist, an American Hockey League All-Star last season.

In fact, Larsson was scratched for all three of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s games this past weekend as Murashov started Friday and Sunday while Blomqvist was in net Saturday.

(On Monday, Murashov was assigned to Wheeling of the ECHL, and goaltender Taylor Gauthier was promoted to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton from Wheeling.)

“We have really good goalies in this organization,” Larsson said when Wilkes-Barre/Scranton practiced April 3 in Cranberry. “It feels like it doesn’t matter who plays.”

In the 26 games Larsson has played this season, he has posted a 12-9-3 record, a 2.84 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage.

Filip Larsson kicks the leg out and stops a 2-on-1 chance late in the 1st period. WBS & Charlotte 0-0, end 1st.

Puck appeared to exit the #WBSPens defensive zone, but play continued. Huge save by Larsson. WBS has 0:50 of carryover PP time to start the 2nd. @InsideAHLHockey pic.twitter.com/5npPrPKaaV

— Tony Androckitis* (@TonyAndrock) March 29, 2025

“I think I’m confident in myself,” Larsson said. “I had some bad games, too, but I know I can always bounce back and know what I’m good at. I just feel good within myself. I know what I can do. We have a really good team as well. Shutouts, it’s fun but it’s also a team performance.”

A native of Sweden, Larsson has some prior experience in North America. A sixth-round draft pick (No. 167 overall) of the Detroit Red Wings in 2016, Larsson suited up for the Tri-City Storm of the United States Hockey League (2017-18) and the University of Denver (2018-19) before turning professional.

But the 2019-20 campaign was hardly ideal. He largely struggled and played in only a combined 17 games between the Grand Rapids Griffins of the AHL and Toledo Walleye of the ECHL before the pandemic brought those leagues’ seasons to an end in March.

“I was up and down a little bit,” Larsson said. “But I didn’t play like I wanted to there. Not happy with how it ended.”

With most leagues in North America still in stasis by fall 2020, Larsson remained in his native Sweden and played in that country’s second-tier league, the HockeyAllsvenskan.

By the 2022 offseason, the Red Wings opted not to extend a qualifying offer to Larsson, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent with regard to his NHL status.

In 2023-24, Larsson joined Leksands IF of the top-tier Swedish Hockey League, posting strong numbers. In 28 games, he had a 19-9-0 record, a 1.93 GAA, a .920 save percentage and a league-best five shutouts.

“Sometimes, goalies can be weird,” Larsson said. “Experience is big. You’ve got to play a lot of games. I lost a little bit of that for two years. Maybe lost a little bit of confidence and didn’t know what I was good at anymore. It was good for me to get back. I played in the second league in Sweden and played in a lot of games. Got a lot of confidence back. … After that, I just played great. Got more and more opportunities.

“Goalies can be weird.”

The Penguins felt comfortable with what they saw from Larsson and signed him to a two-year, two-way contract April 24, 2024. So far, he’s been a leading factor in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s success this season.

“He’s been really solid for us,” said Penguins forward Joona Koppanen, Larsson’s teammate for much of the season. “He’s got a lot of shutouts there, so obviously, he’s been playing great. He’s been helping us out in a lot of games when the team hasn’t been (strong in games).”

Larsson has had a strong season by any measure. But can the 26-year-old distinguish himself from the organization’s younger prospects in net, Blomqvist (22) and Murashov (20)?

“I feel like I’m very good in positioning,” Larsson said. “And my calmness is very good. I can read the play really well without being an aggressive goalie. I’m calm. That’s huge in moments. At the NHL level, the play can go so fast so you can’t be overaggressive. Otherwise, you’re going to be going to a different place.”

It seems like Larsson is in the right place, even if he occasionally gets overlooked.

“I just felt like it was a great opportunity for me to come back (to North America),” Larsson said. “And honestly, it was just the first team that was interested, and I felt like I wanted to make a run again. It felt good coming here.”

Note: Defenseman Filip Kral was recalled from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to the NHL roster Monday. … The Pittsburgh Penguins had a scheduled day off Monday.

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