Malte Gustafsson
18-Year-Old
2025 Stats
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2026 Projections
Intimidating defender drafted 13th
Gustafsson was the 13th overall pick by the Islanders in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
ANALYSIS
Gustafsson is a massive, mobile defender who is going to stop a lot of NHL forwards for at least 12-15 years. He's already held his own against men in the SHL as a 17-year-old because his gap control is elite -- his D-zone instincts are NHL-ready right now. Does he have offensive skills? Yes, but Gustafsson projects as the ultimate, hard-to-play-against shutdown guy who gets secondary assists because he controls exits so well. He's going to be a mean number two alongside Matthew Schaefer. And get a few points, simply by osmosis.
Gustafsson is a massive, mobile defender who is going to stop a lot of NHL forwards for at least 12-15 years. He's already held his own against men in the SHL as a 17-year-old because his gap control is elite -- his D-zone instincts are NHL-ready right now. Does he have offensive skills? Yes, but Gustafsson projects as the ultimate, hard-to-play-against shutdown guy who gets secondary assists because he controls exits so well. He's going to be a mean number two alongside Matthew Schaefer. And get a few points, simply by osmosis.
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