Kasper "kaz_zu" Ramstedt - A young talent no stranger to strapping on the pads

At only 17 years of age, prospect Kasper @Kaz_zu Ramstedt has climbed the ranks to the top of the pool in terms of goaltending talent. He has made a name for himself in the Elite division previously playing for Rusty Blades and Roots Gaming, but his most recent claim to fame was the ECL '22 Winter Pro title with JYP Jyväskylä.

The young man says that his first memories of playing NHL games date back to being just a toddler, when he played games with his own father and relatives: "I was playing with my father and godmother's husband at the time, and they stuck a disconnected controller in my hands, but I still celebrated the goals as hard as anyone", the Pori, Finland native thinks back at that time.

After starting school, Ramstedt says that he started playing HUT for the first time. He recalls how his father then created his first PSN account called kaz__zu. The current PSN ID is a bit shorter, and has changed due to some forgotten logins along the way. At home, the young goalie prospect is mainly about hockey, as both him and his father shares a mutual interest in hockey and the NHL series. He says his father (@tondeeee) has also played at the ECL level and serves as a goalie coach outside of the virtual rinks.

One of his closest teammates is long-time community member Väinö @vSilenttio Pietilä, who has kind words to say about the young goalie: ”Me and @Kaz_zu first met back in Roots at the end of 2020, when we signed the young kid who had only played for the Clumsy Penguins to mind the net with Joonas @swagx88 Kuossari in shared responsibility. It really didn't take long for Kassu to earn the trust of the team to play as a tandem with Joonas."

Despite his young age, Kazzu has grown very close to several teammates and he is held in high regard as one of the nicer guys in the community. He sees that he's been welcomed with open arms into teams he's been a part of: ”I think it's funny, I don't want to focus on what age the others are as long as they're good guys, nothing else really matters. And I think it's great how well I've been included. It's also easy to play when your own team members trust you. I don't really get any tips from them anymore, they let me focus on my own work and I let them do theirs”

One of Ramstedt's newer teammates is defenseman Saku @Sakkem Saaranluoma, who joined JYP from KOVA Esports after the latest FCL tournament, and he has got to know the goalie well: "It's always fun to play with @Kaz_zu. He brings a lot of energy to the party with his mouth in perpetual motion. His laughter and lightheartedness really spreads to the whole team. On the ice, he makes the necessary stops and always gives the team a chance to win, and his performances usually get better as the pressure rises. Even in the lates finals, he strung together three consecutive shutouts."

In addition to stopping pucks on the virtual ice, Ramstedt is no stranger to strapping on the pads in the traditional sense either. He's spent 12 years stopping pucks also on the real ice and sees some benefit translating that to his virtual game. Especially positioning and reading plays are something that translates well, great reflexes can also be a benefit. However, he stresses that the real game and virtual goaltending are two very different things. Some of the most important skills a goalie should have are great nerves and the ability to handle pressure. Kazzu also notes that you shouldn't be too hard on yourself, since the goalie could often be both the hero and the villain, depending on how the end result looks on the board. 

The goaltender states that excercise is of great importance and helps with focus going into games. He also stresses that sometimes excercise is out of necessity, since practice could end shortly before the ECL action starts: ”I don't really have any game routines other than that I always try to play sports before games, e.g. in the gym, but the routines vary a lot because sometimes the workouts end at 9pm and the ECL games might start at 9.30pm, so I might be in a rush sometimes. I've always somehow managed to fuse the schedules together, and for that I'd like to thank all of the great community at SportsGamer."

His ECL 11 appearances in some high-profile broadcast games against YMCA Esports are some that come to mind when asked about the greatest gaming memories thus far. The inexperienced netminder really made a statement in those two clashes, leaving the traditionally very offensive YMCA without a single goal in the games.

As customary, we asked Kazzu to form the top 6 of his dreams, with a short comment about why these players were chosen:

@Frans-Fin - @Siltsu - @Timotei97
@tondeeee - @Tanski87
@Kaz_zu
 

”I thought that would be a classy line-up and of course I had to include my own father, I don't know if I would've been welcome home if I didn't. I think we'd have a lot of fun with that group, every player is a great personality. @Tanski87 has played a big part for my career and he's always been supportive and trusted me even when things didn't go as planned. Some day I'd like to play as a defensive pair with my best friend @Siltsu for example.”

In the Winter season, JYP Jyväskylä managed to win the Pro Championship and claim their spot back in the European top 16. We asked the netminder about some comments about the past season and something about what's to come for the team: "The Pro title was great, out season was good but quite fluctuant. Moving forward, we need to develop our game and be more consistent. Our roster has changed a bit as fellow kiddo Aaro @xAaro89x Aarvala has joined us as a winger, but I'll still remain the youngest on the team. I'm excited for next season back in Elite. I don't have any specific goals for the season, as I think it's going to be very even and tough. It would be great to make the playoffs, but my main focus is handling my own tasks and giving the team a chance to win every night."
 

When asked about the young man's personality, teammate @vSilenttio doesn't hold back: ”I don't know what kind of locker room presence Kazzu has in the traditional sport when I'm not there, but from what I've experienced, everything about Kazzu points towards his representing the traditional goalie type, which is known to be a bit of a different breed. Goalies tend to be a bit different from their teammates and they usually have their own little things going, and I don't mean this in a bad way. If I'f have to provide a practical example, you all probably remember Ilya Bryzgalov and his galaxy rant back in the HBO Flyers-Rangers 24/7 documentary. Kazzu rarely talks about space, but I think you get the point.”

”Kazzu is also by far the loudest in-game player I have ever come across in my career. Whether it's crunching down on some peanuts, shouting at the opposing team, singing along with the latest Finnish hits, watching TikToks or simply breathing heavily into the mic, this guy always makes his presence known. No wonder he's already made a name for himself as "the beast", not only for his performances on the ice I guess. He has always been a good teammate for me, quickly finding his spot in JYP, and despite his young age and lack of experience, @Kaz_zu is a goalkeeper who has proven his level and is easy to trust in a tough place. Never change, kid <3!”, @vSilenttio continues.