The Brantford Bulldogs and goaltender Vilmer Salen Fosberg remain undefeated.

Hosting Brampton on Friday at the TD Civic Centre, the Bulldogs (6-0-0-0) needed a shootout to score a 5-4 win against the Steelheads (0-5-0-1).

With the win, Sweden’s Salen Forsberg continued his hot start to the season with his fourth win against no losses.

It’s easy to see why Salen Forsberg was able to make 44 saves, many with his glove hand, as the six-foot-six, 220-pound netminder has hands like bear paws.

“They’re basketball hands,” said Salen Forsberg, who was drafted in the second round (62nd overall) of the 2026 CHL Import Draft by Brantford.

But his massive mitts are just a start.

While the native of Sodertalje looks like he’s spent a lifetime between the pipes, that isn’t the case.

“I started when I was three,” he said of playing hockey. “I was both until U13.”

A goalie and what?

“Mostly defence but I’ve always known I wanted to be a goalie.”

Where did the stick twirl at the end of Bulldogs wins come from?

“After the first game, I didn’t really think much of it,” said the 17-year-old. “I had no plan on doing it beforehand so I just threw it up in the air.

“We’re on a streak so I’ll keep it going.”

Of course he misses his family and friends back home but food must also be an issue. Thankfully there’s IKEA.

“That’s the best meatballs, actually,” he said. “We love them in Sweden, too.”

Ok. Moving on. Away from the rink, what’s on for entertainment?

“I mean, I watch all the Netflix docs,” said Salen Forsberg. “The 9/11 stuff, Osama bin Laden, all that kind of stuff.”

And where did ‘The Viking’ nickname come from? This may be the best.

“It’s actually my middle name,” he said of the coolest middle name in the OHL.

“It’s not a common name in Sweden. I actually asked (my parents why) and they said it’s because it sounded cool.”

Mission accomplished.

And finally, what’s it like playing in North America and for the Bulldogs?

“I always wanted to play in North America and my agent told me the Bulldogs were second to none when it comes to organizations,” said one of the top-rated goalies for the 2027 NHL draft.

“I love it here. I love the fans, I love the team and I love the city.”

Salen Forsberg is the first player from Sweden to play for the Bulldogs and its first-ever import goaltender.

Among OHL goalies who have played at least half of their team’s games, heading into Friday’s game Salen Forsberg was fourth in goals against average (2.00), fifth in save percentage (.937) and second in wins (3-0).

This week he was named OHL goalie of the week after going 2-0 with a 2.50 GAA and .925 save percentage. Representing Sweden at the 2026 Hlinka Gretzky Cup in Edmonton this past summer, Salen Forsberg continued his strong play in the game against Brampton by making 44 saves.

Jason Musa (2G, 1A) and Aiden Kelly (3A) led the offence for the Bulldogs. Jack Good, with his first OHL goal, and David Buchman also scored while Adam Nemec was the only player to score in the shootout, which went to four players.

Xavier Lieb, Jet Kwajah, Joey Banas and Carson Andrew got one assist apiece.

Jared Harding got two goals for Brampton with one each to Keaton Ardagh and Nathan Amidovski.

Brantford is back in action on Saturday when it hosts the North Bay Battalion in a 4 p.m. game at the civic centre. The Bulldogs wrap up their second straight three-in-three weekend with a Sunday game in Owen Sound against the Attack at 2 p.m.

DOG BITES . . . Andrew and George Komadoski both left the game and did not return. Andrew collided with Kelly and is not expected to be back this weekend while Komadoski left the ice after hitting a stanchion behind the net. His status will be determined on Saturday.