Oliver Wahlstrom Signs In Sweden

Unable to secure an NHL contract this summer, unrestricted free agent winger Oliver Wahlstrom has decided to take a different path.  Instead of settling for an AHL deal, he’s heading overseas, as SHL Djurgarden announced that they’ve signed Wahlstrom to a one-year deal.

The 26-year-old was a first-round pick by the Islanders back in 2018, going 11th overall.  He showed plenty of offensive promise with the US National Team Development Program, then had a good freshman year at Boston College in 2018-19.  Somewhat surprisingly, he opted to make the jump to the pros after that, making his debut with the Isles the following season.

The rushed approach hasn’t worked out too well for Wahlstrom, however.  He has just one full NHL season under his belt, back in 2021-22 when he had a career-best 13 goals and 24 points in 73 games.

Since then, Wahlstrom has been on the fringes of an NHL roster.  He last suited up at the top level back in 2024-25 after Boston claimed him off waivers.  For his career, he has 37 goals and 36 assists in 236 games over parts of six seasons.

Last year, he played exclusively with AHL San Jose on a minor-league pact, tallying 24 goals and 18 assists in 62 games.  With that action, he now qualifies as a veteran player for AHL purposes moving forward.  Teams are capped at dressing six of those players per game at that level; that designation often leads to a more restrictive market.

Rather than settle for a training camp tryout with the hopes of securing at best a two-way pact, it isn’t entirely surprising to see Wahlstrom go this route.  Now, he gets some guaranteed money and likely a chance to play a prominent role.  A good season there could get him back on the radar in North America or set himself up for a robust market overseas next summer.