University of Denver picks up commitment from USHL goaltender

The Tri-City Storm of the USHL announced Tuesday that goaltender Filip Larsson has committed to play his college hockey for the Denver Pioneers. Larson, a Stockholm native and 2016 sixth round draft pick of the Detroit Red Wings, is currently in his first season stateside with Tri-City.

Larsson seems to have had no trouble with the transition to the USHL, which he leads in save percentage (.946), GAA (1.45), wins (14) and shutouts (5).

Pioneer fans will have a unique opportunity to watch Larsson, who is on the preliminary roster for Team Sweden for the IIHF World Juniors later this month.

The Pioneers will lose starting goaltender Tanner Jaillet to graduation after this season. For the past two seasons, Denver has leaned heavily on Jaillet, who this year is backed up by a pair of freshmen — Dayton Rasmussen and Devin Cooley.

It’s unclear if Larsson will be on DU’s campus next season after just one season in the USHL and with Rasmussen and Cooley waiting in the wings. On the other hand, if Larsson keeps up his current pace with Tri-City for the rest of this season, he will have little else to prove at that level.

Larsson was quoted in the press release from the Storm: “This year has helped me a lot. I feel that I have made progress this year and am ready to play division I hockey.”