Rivermen Retrospective: Jack Bostedt is Just That Good
January 4, 2026 - 10:55 pm
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Photo - Tim Lester images
(The following transcript has been edited for time and clarity)
JASON RUFF
Welcome to another episode of Riverman Retrospective. I'm your host, Jason Ruff. Our guest this month is one particular goaltender who has already made a name for himself here in the SPHL. He's in his second full professional season, third overall, he's one of the leading goaltenders in this league, goals against average, shutouts, save percentage; he's either leading them outright or tied for the league. He's also a man who is very jolly and happy here this holiday season. I am of course, referring to Jack Bostedt! “Bosser”, as the boys call you, how are you doing, bud? Welcome on to the podcast. Welcome on to the show, our inaugural podcast of Riverman Retrospective.
JACK BOSTEDT
Thanks for having me. I think I'm pretty honored to be the first guest here. (laughing)
JASON RUFF
- Well, you know, let's get after it just to give you a quick update and give some of our fans and listeners a quick update of what Riverman Retrospective is. We sit down, we have a good chat and conversation with some key Riverman contributors and key Peoria Riverman and get to hear their story. And usually there's a theme behind it, like I know Alec Bear that we did in November. It was about leadership and here, it's the holiday season, so we're talking about Jolly Jack and Mr. Jack Bostedt, Mr. Personality in the locker room there.
JACK BOSTEDT
- I don't know about that, but I'll take it. Thank you. (laughing)
JASON RUFF
- Well, let's get after it. Let's give the people a little bit of an idea of who you are for those of you who don't know. Four years of college at St. Scholastica before that, three years in the USPHL with the Minnesota Mullets and as well as Janesville High School Hockey. You're from Janesville, Wisconsin. Did you grow up playing hockey? Were you always a goaltender? When did you start playing the position?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, I've been playing hockey longer than I've been going to school. So I started at the age of three. Yeah, I haven't been a goalie forever. I think I've started playing goalie around the age of 10. I just fell in love with it. I think the first time I played goalie, I made a really nice save on my brother and I fell in love with it from there. I think I just fell in my back and stuck my arm out and he hit me. So the fact I still remember it's crazy, but I think that's the reason I kind of fell in love with it and just like the cool pads, obviously, when you're a kid, that's pretty cool. And then it was something I was just kind of good at as well. Meanwhile, you see the pads as a young kid, like 10 years old, like, oh, these are so cool. Like all the equipment, the parents are looking at that and like, oh, no. I don't think my mom was too happy with that decision, but it worked out!
JASON RUFF
- It definitely did. It definitely did. Janesville, Wisconsin, so safe to say, Packers and Brewers fan?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, my dad grew up in Green Bay. So if I wasn't a Packers fan, I think I'd be disowned by my family. But yeah, definitely happy to be a Packers fan. Brewer's not so much. I'm not really a huge baseball guy. So I kind of just, I mean, I was a Brewers fan as a kid, I guess, but when we'd go to games, I'd never really cared much for it. In high school, I ended up going to a Cubs game 2016. I don't know if you'd know what happened that year.
JASON RUFF
- Oh, we all know, everyone in Chicago knows what happens in 2016.
JACK BOSTEDT
- I was caring for the Cubs then for a little bit, but still not a huge baseball guy. I live in Minnesota. I've been to a few Twins games. Cheer for them when I'm there. But I just like to watch. When I go to any sporting event, I just like to see a good game unless it's the Packers. - Unless the Packers then, they've got a win. They've got a win.
JASON RUFF
- I'm told you're the college football authority in the locker room this year. Now, quick question, because I know you're a big Badgers fan. Did they make the right move with sticking with Luke Fickle, or should they have jumped into the big coaching search? Because everyone's getting a new coach. Michigan State got a new coach. Michigan’s got a new coach. LSU, everyone's getting a new coach.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Right. You know, who am I really to answer that? Right? Like I'm not a part of that at all, but yeah, I mean, they stuck with them. I'm going to say that's the right decision for now. I'm not too happy necessarily with the season, but if you look at their record, I mean, or their schedule, I guess, they played the hardest schedule in the whole country. So I think we give them another year and see what happens.
JASON RUFF
- You know, one thing that's always stuck out to me about Wisconsin is, I feel like they have a fairly underrated hockey scene. Like everyone knows about Minnesota hockey. Everyone knows about Massachusetts. And a lot of people know about Michigan hockey, but I feel like a lot of people sleep on the hockey scene in Wisconsin. Do you think that as well? And if so, why do you think people sleep on it?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, I think, I mean, I think just being kind of surrounded by Illinois and Minnesota, I think those are two huge, huge areas in hockey hotspots. And living in Minnesota the last, what, eight years now, I can definitely see a huge difference in just the amount of people that play and follow the sport. Like, you go to any restaurant in Minnesota and you're watching hockey on the TVs inside. You're not watching hockey in Wisconsin restaurants, really. So it's just, it is a little unfortunate that it's like not really considered much of a hockey state, considering there are so many players that have been from there and come through Wisconsin.
JASON RUFF
- Absolutely. I also wonder if it's the fact that there's no NHL team in Wisconsin. Like you've got the Wild in Minneapolis, St. Paul area. You've got the Blackhawks in Chicago. I mean, the only major pro team you've got are the Admirals and the AHL. And if you wanted to put an NHL team, where would you put it? You can't put it in Green Bay because the Packers are king. You can't put it in Madison, Wisconsin, although that makes sense. The U, U-Wisconsin, takes up everything there. Milwaukee's the only place to put it and you already have an AHL team there.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Right. I mean, it would be so fun to have an NHL team there, but, you know, growing up in Wisconsin, I never really watched the NHL. It was always the Badgers on TV every Friday, Saturday. So I don't know what they would do if they ever decided to. I don't think they ever will. I mean, Chicago is so close. Minnesota is so close. Minnesota is so close. Yeah, it's kind of unfortunate, but it is what it is.
JASON RUFF
- You played two years of high school hockey, three in juniors. How was playing high school hockey in Wisconsin? You know, you look at the path of a lot of players. They usually skip high school or they maybe play a year before they go to juniors. You played a full two years before making the jump to juniors. What was that experience like, your junior career, and then eventually going on to college at the University of St. Scholastica?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Well, high school was a lot of fun. Like, you're playing with your guys, you know? So I really enjoyed high school hockey. I thought we had a really good team. It was some of the most fun I've ever had playing hockey. Yeah, it was just that really. I think I grew a lot in those few years of being a starter in high school and it got me to where I am today. I wouldn't be here probably without my experience in Janesville at all. Then from there, I ended up playing for the Minnesota Mullets. So I was there for three years. I think I still hold the record for most games played in that league.
JASON RUFF
- You also hold the all-time wins record at St. Scholastica.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, yeah. So, I mean, that's a cool one too. We'll get to that, I guess. But yeah, time at the Mullets was awesome. Coach Chris Wallaby's still there. Still running the program there. I grew so much there as well. So I don't necessarily think we had the best team in that league, which in that league, there's so much disparity. There's some teams that are actually pretty solid and there's some that really, they can't even skate. So at the tier three level in juniors, that's just kind of what you get. But there'd be I’d see 60 shots. And then I'd play that next night another 60. So I mean, I saw everything. I think I saw a 4-on-0 at one point in juniors. Luckily, I saved that one.
JASON RUFF
- I was about to ask, you make the stop?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, you remember those ones. The guy just came down and shot it and he had three other guys with him. So I appreciate that guy.
JASON RUFF- Well, you were also captain your third year. How did that come about? And how did you earn a “C”? Because you don't see goalies wearing a “C” very often.
JACK BOSTEDT
- No, I don't know really. I think it's just one of those things I was there for that was my third year. And that doesn't happen very often in juniors. We had a few other guys that were as well. I think maybe I'm not necessarily the loudest guy in the room, but I think at that time in my life, I kind of became a little bit of the voice in the locker room. I wouldn't say ton, but if I did, I think guys listen.
JASON RUFF
- Well, I always feel like goaltenders are either very introspective or they're very loud. Like you and an Eric Levine or Colby Muise from last year, those are loud goa tenders that really have good personalities. I would put you actually on the far end of that loud spectrum. What would you say? Why do you think there is such a disparity between goal tenders that either go into one camp or the other?
JACK BOSTEDT
- You know, it's a good question. I think, I mean, you get goalies are weird all the time, right? That's the saying. So I don't know. I think everyone's a little different. I like to have fun with it. I think the more fun I'm having, the better I'm playing. So I think that's kind of where you get the outgoingness from me. I'm honestly an introvert. I really am. But I think once you get on the ice and you're having fun, it's like hard not to be, for me at least, to be like a louder guy.
JASON RUFF
-Well, you know, as we talked a little bit about how goaltenders are either introspective or outgoing, great time at college at St. Scholastica, all-time wins leader for that school. Why St. Scholastica?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Great question. I mean, again, I played tier three. So the NCAA options, they're pretty limited when you're coming out of those leagues. Like, I mean, I took a tour of a school and I remember the coach saying, like, "Hey, if we can get any tier two guy before you, we're probably going to do it." So like, in that school, I ended up getting a tier two guy. But I was fortunate enough that St. Scholastica called me and they were super interested. You don't really get the opportunity to go in and compete for a starting job as a freshman straight out of tier three and I had that opportunity there. And at the same time, my mom's from Superior, Wisconsin, right across the bridge. So I had family connections up there. So I'd been up there a few times before. And it was during COVID when I committed, so I wasn't able to actually go up and tour the school or meet the coaches or anything. So yeah, I ended up committing there. And it was one of the best decisions in my life, for sure.
JASON RUFF
- Why so?
JACK BOSTEDT
- I loved Duluth. I met some of my best friends. I met my girlfriend there. So I'll probably end up living in Duluth the rest of my life when I'm done playing. Just don't visit in the winter if you're looking to move there. So the winter's there, brutal, with the Lake Superior being right there. - I think we had 130 something inches of snow one year. You go outside and you shovel one night, 10 inches, and then you wake up the next morning and you have to shovel another 10 inches. It's not too fun, especially when you gotta get to practice that next day. So I mean, it's an awesome city. It's again, right in the lake, it's so scenic, so beautiful, and there's so much nature around if you're a nature guy. I'm not really a huge outdoors guy, but you drive 30 minutes north, you get a nice waterfall. So there's a lot of that stuff, good golf. And I think for me, a huge thing is it's such a hockey town. The University of Minnesota, Duluth is right there. And then their youth organizations are so cool. They still have an outdoor league up until Peewees. So , you're playing outdoors against your other neighborhoods…
JASON RUFF
- Have you ever played outdoors before?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Never in an actual game. I've had a few practices outside, but no. –
JASON RUFF
- You go out of college, go pro with the Macon Mayhem and you play six games. But you gain a reputation as a goaltender who can steal games. I guess maybe facing those 4-on-0’s in Tier 3 Juniors kind of prepared you for the pro game, especially in Macon.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yep. Yeah. No kidding. Yeah. I think over, I've been playing goalie so long, right? Yeah. Over the course of my career, I've played on a lot of teams where I see quite a few shots. So I think that's something I'm used to. I think just being in Peoria last year, you get into a game, you see 15 shots. I think that's the first time in my life I'd ever seen less than 20. So like, it's a little different. It's kind of nice here, but I'm pretty prepared for anything that can come my way.
JASON RUFF
- After Georgia, you go down to the Federal League and then you get called up to Peoria for nine games. Take us through your decision, that whole process of Coach Trudell and/or Coach Levine reaching out to you, the decision to come to Peoria and playing for the Riverman for those nine games. Because at the time, Colby Muise was up in the ECHL doing his thing. Nick Latinovich was unable to play. So the Riverman kind of needed that goalie to kind of steady the ship a little bit. And you had that opportunity to step in. And though you only played nine games, 7-1-1, that's not a record to scoff at.
JACK BOSTEDT
- No. Honestly, it was a pretty hard decision to come up here. Like, I really enjoyed my time in Athens. That's where I was at in the Federal League. So I had such a good team there and had a really good experience. But I think just having coached Levine here, like a goalie coach I can work with every day plus obviously it's a better league. You're playing against better competition. So I loved to challenge myself that way. But it was hard to leave those guys I'd been with so long. Plus, I'd never left a team midseason before. So I kind of felt like I was quitting on them, which is not really something I like to do. But it was also a fantastic decision and opportunity for me to come up here and play for another really good hockey team. So yeah, it was a pretty cool experience last year just coming here and getting the opportunity to play kind of right away. Prove that I can play at this level. And yeah, I'm lucky that I ended up choosing to come to Peoria.
I mean, originally when coming here, I think just the opportunity to have a goalie coach. That doesn't happen at the minor pro level really. So just being able to work with someone that knows kind of what we're going through. And he just got done playing too. So he's pretty fresh and has a great goalie mind. So just having him around is awesome. And then just being able to utilize him like “Tino” [Nick Latinovich] and I are able to use him before practice every day really while we're at the Civic Center. So we get out there earlier with him and I think that really helps us. There's occasional times when Jean-Guy's not there on the road, right? Yeah. And he'll walk in the room and it's like he's a head coach. You know, like he can walk in the room and give a good speech where I don't think I can necessarily do that. I think I'm a little worse with my words, I guess, than he is.
JASON RUFF
- I feel like it's been long enough so I can tell this story. When Eric first had the bench. It was in Quad City and he was so nervous. Like I went in to go to the pregame interview with him and he starts like going on and on. The good thing with interviewing Eric Levine is, and this was true as a player as well as a coach now, you just wind him up like the energizer bunny and he just goes. You give him one question, he'll go on for like a minute and a half, two minutes. Jack, I swear I asked him maybe four questions in the pregame interview. We went for nearly 10 minutes. (Laughs) And afterwards I turned off the mic and asked him “Eric, you nervous?” And he was like “Yeah, yeah, I'm kind of nervous. Not going to lie.”
But I think it shows, and that was number of years ago, obviously he's gotten better. He's grown more comfortable in the position as well. And so he can step like you said, step into a room and kind of take charge. I feel like the same is probably true for goaltenders, especially when coming from the federal league to the SPHL. Yeah, you're going to be nervous your first couple of games, but you get that confidence under your belt and now you're in your second full season here in the SPHL. when was that moment you're like, “OK, yeah, I can do it at this level consistently”?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Like, I mean, I've always had that mindset. Even when I was in making like my first few games, like I thought like, I mean, you got to adjust, right? It's a little bit faster. It's a little bit, you're playing against older players that are more experienced. But I think my mindset has always been like, when I get on the ice, I want to be the best goalie on the ice. So any game I get into, it's kind of like a 1v1 me versus the other goalie. That's the mindset I get into and I want to win that battle. So yeah, I mean, it's just, I don't think my mindset's ever changed. I think I'm just a little more comfortable now. You know what I mean? Like, I know that they have the faith in me. Like, whereas I came in last year and they have two goalies already, they're playing awesome. You know, so it's like, it's a little, it plays with your mind a little bit. Like, it doesn't, you know, however good I play, you don't really know what's going to happen where like, I feel more comfortable and I think that helps just be confident.
JASON RUFF
- Who is the goaltender in this league? Like you just, you want to battle it out against. Who is the goalie you just hope he's 180 feet down the other end of the ice?
JACK BOSTEDT
- There's so many. I mean, you look across the league, everyone's got really good stats right now. I think for me, a really cool one would be Zane Steeves and Quad City. Just because he's a Scholastica guy as well. So I came in when he left, I took his spot at St. Scholastica so to be able to play against him is pretty cool. We see him quite a bit. So I had that opportunity to play against him. At least now, I think once and then another one he got put in late. But it's pretty cool to see him down the ice, just knowing him prior to coming.
JASON RUFF
- I do have to bring this up, because we kind of alluded to it towards the beginning of the show. Are any of the guys putting in a college football playoff bracket? I know you're the big college football guy.
JACK BOSTEDT
- It might just be me. I mean, I'm not too opposed to that either. I think I have a better chance to win if there's less brackets in there. So I might not tell the guys that I'm doing this.
JASON RUFF
- Well, while we have a few more minutes before we finish up, I do want to get your opinion on the bracket, on the college football playoff bracket. So just for the people at home can understand if they want to take the Jack Bostedt Parley, you've got Oregon, Indiana, Georgia, Ohio State in your final four?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Can you tell what conference I like?
JASON RUFF
- Yeah. We're Big Ten guys. We get this. We're in Big Ten country!
JACK BOSTEDT
- Oregon, Indiana. I think this is the end of road for Oregon in those nice jerseys. I'm going with Indiana just because I love what they got going on there. I have to cheer for them and I have to pick them here.
JASON RUFF
- Now here's the big one, Ohio State vs Georgia.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Ohio State.
JASON RUFF
- Oh, so Ohio State's not going to be done in by a late field goal miss this year? Well, they were already punched that card already in the Big Ten championship.
JACK BOSTEDT
- They did. They did. The thing is, Ohio State is such a good team. They're so well coached on both ends of the ball. They have Patricia on defense. Now that he's seen Indiana, I don't think they can lose. I didn’t think they're going to lose to Indiana in the [national] championship game. As much as I want to, I'm going to cheer for Indiana in that game. I'm going with Ohio State in my bracket.
JASON RUFF
- Okay, so your national champion is Ohio State?
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yes. Unfortunately, I think they will be repeat champions. They're receiving corps is so, so good. They're quarterback so good. Their defense is so good.
JASON RUFF
- But here's the thing. When Ohio State gets behind, we saw them, they just couldn't quite find it. They were like deer in the headlights. They didn't know what to do.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, but now I think they have a little bit of a chip on their shoulder here. Like that's a team that- They go into that game against Indiana, they think they're going to win that game for sure. And now that they don't, and the story's all Indiana right now, I think they're going to go in and they're going to win this game.
JASON RUFF
- Okay, well, I'll tell you what, there's one in particular individual in our office that is going to be really happy to hear you say that.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, I know.
JASON RUFF
- And there'll be one that's not too happy it either!
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, you can’t please everyone. That's the one thing I've learned.
JASON RUFF
- Well, here's the thing. You're messing with the person who signs the paycheck! (Laughs)
JACK BOSTEDT
- Yeah, you know what? That was probably a pretty tough decision. But you know what? I have to go with my gut and I really want to win. Like that's my thing is I like to win. So I think I got a bracket here that will do that.
JASON RUFF
- Well, you like to win on the bracket side and you like to win on the ice. That's why Jack Bostedt is just that good. Jack, thanks so much for taking time coming on.
JACK BOSTEDT
- Thanks. I appreciate it. Thanks for having me.
JASON RUFF
- I'm Jason Ruff with Jack Bosdett. This has been Riverman Retrospective. Thanks for listening.
