The Alaska-born professional hockey goaltender had a career year, won an Olympic gold medal and now is about to become a dad.
The Alaska-born professional hockey goaltender had a career year, won an Olympic gold medal and now is about to become a dad. Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman makes a save in traffic during the first period in Game 5 of a first-round Stanley Cup playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres on April 28 in Buffalo, N.Y.
When nearly a dozen Winter Olympic and Paralympic athletes from Alaska were honored in April at a welcome-home celebration in Anchorage, Jeremy Swayman wasn’t among them. The hometown kid turned professional hockey goaltender helped Team USA claim its first men’s hockey Olympic gold medal in 46 years at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Games in February.
But in April, he had other obligations to attend to as the starting goalie for the NHL’s Boston Bruins, who were in the middle of a playoff hunt at the time. He recorded a video message for attendees at the Anchorage event while putting in more work toward what’s been a banner year for the 27-year-old.
“It’s something you dream about as a kid,” Swayman said. “Being a part of the first Olympic team since 1980 is truly like, you can’t put it into words, because of how everything had to go completely right for it to happen. ” He’s grateful to be part of a history-making team, and hopes what they achieved will inspire future generations of goalies.
Their gold-medal win was especially meaningful because it came against U.S. rival and global hockey powerhouse Canada, where many of his NHL teammates and foes hail from.
“You play against those guys any given night, so you know how much skill they have and the respect you have for one another,” Swayman said. “To beat them was the cherry on top. ” U.S. players make a group selfie after defeating Canada in the men's ice hockey gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 22, 2026. Anchorage's Jeremy Swayman is at top center.
This accomplishment came during of the best year of his career since he started playing in the NHL in 2020: He finished with a career-high 31 regular-season wins, had 11 fewer losses than the year before and logged his second-most saves in a single season with 1,571.
“It has been a pretty cool year,” Swayman said. “To look at last year, where I was in the mental state at this moment, it’s a complete turnaround to what happened this year. ” During many of his postgame interviews from this past season, Swayman often answered questions about great games or rough performances with introspective responses. He said his upbringing in Alaska has given him a sense of perspective that helps him navigate high-pressure situations.
“I think just having the outlook on nature and perspective of what really matters in the here and now, and it’s not on your phone, it’s always what’s in front of you,” Swayman said. “That was a big reason why I have an outlook like I do, is just growing up in nature, being able to go hiking, fishing, and kind of living off the beaten path a little bit allows me to kind of stay grounded and have a decent perspective when things get chaotic, like they do in the NHL season.
” His previous experiences helped him develop a different approach to the game when it came to preparation, recovery and getting his home life in order as he and his wife are now expecting their first child.
“Being settled at the house allowed me to focus on hockey a little more has definitely been a really good thing for my game,” Swayman said. “Just understanding the approach, and how to just silence the outside world, and really focus on what I can control, and that’s stopping pucks for the Black and Gold. ”, awarded to the top goaltender in the league.
While he finished third in voting, just to be considered for the honor meant a lot to him.
“That’s another lifelong dream,” Swayman said. “It’s really cool to be in the same category as those other two goalies, Sorokin and Vasilevskiy. I’m just really grateful that people that vote on it put faith in me, and to have a chance at it was really rewarding. ” As cool as being a finalist was, until he checks that goal off his list, he still believes “the job isn’t done yet until you win it.
”Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman smiles after a shutout win against the New Jersey Devils on April 14 in Boston. Swayman and his wife, Alessandra, are expecting their child “any day now,” so he’ll be staying close to their home in the Boston area this summer. He found out he was going to be a dad just before the 2025-26 NHL season got underway. His wife surprised him with the news following the Bruins’ final preseason game.
“That hit me pretty good,” he said. “I was so excited, and to actually have it come through positive was really, really relieving and exciting, and that definitely changed my entire perspective as well. ” Receiving that life-changing news helped Swayman further dial in his work on the ice because he had even more to play for.
“I was able to look up in the stands every night and understand that I got my own family up there,” Swayman said. “That was a huge perspective piece for me, just knowing that hockey is really important, but what’s up there is everything. ” With his new mindset came a deeper appreciation for every moment he experienced, both good and bad, because his family would be there for him no matter what transpired in the rink.
“It’s my job to step up and show this little man how to deal with adversity and big moments, so I can’t let him down,” Swayman said. “That really helped me a lot. ”“It’s just been a really good year of gratitude and understanding,” Swayman said.
“All we can do is really control what we can control in the moment, and then it’s amazing what can happen when you just live your life. ” United States' goalkeeper Jeremy Swayman makes a save during a preliminary round match of men's ice hockey between United States and Denmark at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 14.
While he won’t host any camps or events in Alaska this summer, Swayman intends to do so next year and partner with the NHL Players’ Association to make it happen.
“I’m definitely looking forward to coming back,” he said. “We’ll do it the right way, because I wouldn’t be here without everyone in Alaska hockey, so I definitely want to pay it forward and bring some really cool stuff back. ” Before he ascended to the sport’s top ranks, Swayman’s journey began as one of the many rink rats who grew up in Alaska, playing on the youth club circuit and in high school.
He started on the Alaska All Stars AA 14U team, then moved up to the Alaska Jr. Aces AAA 16U team and played one season at South Anchorage High School. He’s proud of the progress that youth hockey programs in the state have made and the bevy of talent they’re cultivating annually.
“It is incredible,” Swayman said. “Guys like me wanted to leave it better than we found it, and the fact that it’s getting better and better, it means that we’re doing the right thing, and obviously the coaches and all the mentors that are taking these kids under their wing are doing the right thing.
I think it’s in a great position to continue to get better, and it’s really fun to be a huge fan and supporter of what we’re doing there. ” A Boston Bruins fan clutches a game-used stick gifted to her by goaltender Jeremy Swayman following a game against the New Jersey Devils on April 14 in Boston.
He takes pride in representing Alaska at the highest levels of competition and hopes to continue being a role model for young Alaskans who aspire to reach similar heights.
“That’s everything,” Swayman said. “I wouldn’t be here without my upbringing in Alaska, and the biggest thing is just having gratitude of growing up in the most unique and special place in the world. I think any Alaskan will say we got a different chip on our shoulder because we’re from a place atop the beaten path, but it is so unique and so special in its own ways.
“Being Alaskan hockey players is a privilege and is a really, really, special group to be a part of. ” Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman celebrates after teammate David Pastrnak scored an empty net goal against the Seattle Kraken during a game Jan. 15 in Boston. Josh Reed is a sports reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. He's a graduate of West High School and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
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