Coming in at No. 12 on the BSH Community Draft Board is Malte Gustafsson. Our fifth defenseman in a row, Gustafsson is a big, mobile defender who spent much of his draft season earning meaningful minutes in the SHL. Though he lacks some of the offensive flash found elsewhere in the class, his strong transition game, defensive awareness, and projectable toolkit make him one of the more intriguing defensemen available.
Pre-draft rankings
Ranked #14 by Elite Prospects
Ranked #25 by Sportsnet (Jason Bukala)
Ranked #9 by The Athletic (Corey Pronman)
Ranked #15 by Daily Faceoff (Steven Ellis)
Statistics
What’s there to like?
What makes Gustafsson particularly intriguing as a draft prospect is that there may still be plenty of room for growth. His defensive game was already seen as a major strength heading into the season, but his two-way play has improved noticeably. While some top defensive prospects dominate junior competition throughout their under-20 seasons, Gustafsson has spent much of his draft year proving he can handle tougher assignments against professional competition. He checks a lot of boxes. He’s tall, defensively reliable, and was playing meaningful minutes in the SHL as a 17-year-old. That alone is going to draw attention, but he also plays a very modern game, with plus-passing ability and proactive reads. He’s been compared to Niklas Hjalmarsson and Mattias Ekholm — and not just because they’re Swedish defensemen.
Like his fellow countrymen, one of the biggest strengths of Gustafsson’s game is the impact he has in transition. He consistently closes gaps well in the neutral zone and tends to challenge puck carriers rather than sitting back and conceding the zone. Combined with knowing how to use his reach, something that allows him to play aggressively at the line is his edge work, which really stands out when he’s being targeted on a rush. Overall, his skating is good for a player of his size, though he’s certainly not a burner. Once he has the puck on his stick, he shows good instincts under pressure and makes a good first pass to move the puck out of the defensive zone and up the ice. He can carry the puck out himself, but he’s limited by his speed at times. Pass-outs are where he thrives.
That combination of size, defensive awareness, puck-moving ability, and professional experience makes him one of the safer defensemen in the class. Whether he ultimately develops into more of a shutdown defender or something more, it’s easy to see why NHL teams would view him as a player worth selecting early in the draft. The tools are there, and the progress he’s made suggests there may be a ton of untapped potential.
Another appealing aspect of Gustafsson’s game is his instincts and decision-making. He rarely looks overwhelmed when plays become chaotic and has a knack for finding solutions when his first option disappears. Whether it’s escaping pressure along the boards, adjusting to a broken play, or making a quick outlet under pressure, he generally appears comfortable processing the game at a high pace and improvising.
He also plays with a physical edge, often leading with an active stick before finishing a check. He’s not overly physical, but has shown a willingness to deliver big hits when opportunities present themselves. Combined with his impressive year-to-year improvement, and experience playing against professionals in the SHL, there is plenty to like about him.
What’s not to like?
Questions remain about his offensive upside. He’ll join the rush on occasion, but it’s not a defining characteristic of his game. In the offensive zone, he generally keeps things simple and doesn’t consistently show the creativity or attacking instincts seen in some of the more offensively gifted defensemen in this class. To be fair, HV71 struggled to generate offense as a team this season, making it difficult to isolate his individual contributions. There were flashes of more aggressive offensive play, including a shift against Malmo in December where he snuck down on a cycle and cut to the net for what could have been a high-danger scoring chance had his teammate spotted him. The ability appears to be there, but those moments were relatively infrequent.
His shot is another area that leaves something to be desired. Gustafsson doesn’t possess a particularly heavy release, and he rarely takes a slapshot from the point. That likely limits his ceiling as an offensive contributor at the next level. At the same time, it is worth noting that his value is unlikely to come from goalscoring. His game is built around defending, moving pucks efficiently, and helping drive transition, so a lack of high-end shooting ability is more of a slight limitation than a major concern.
One final concern for teams could be whether his defensive strengths translate well enough to justify his draft position if the offensive game never takes another step forward. Unlike some of the other two-way defensemen in this class, Gustafsson isn’t projected to provide significant offensive value, meaning much of his upside is tied to his ability to defend at a high level. The fact that he’s defending this well against professional competition in the SHL is a great sign, but it’s no guarantee.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
While not a perfect match for their current needs, Gustafsson is certainly a player who would strengthen the Flyers’ prospect pool. There’s a real lack of left-shot defensemen in the organization with top-four potential, and Gustafsson brings a complementary skill set that should mesh well with both offensive and defensive-minded partners.
If his offensive game takes a step, he could see time on a team’s power play, but it’s far more likely that he would develop into a second-unit option rather than a true top-unit quarterback, which remains a need for the Flyers. There are more offensively inclined defensemen projected to go in the middle of the first round, but if the organization continues to prioritize size, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them favor a defenseman with a profile like Gustafsson’s.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
While the middle of the first round can be volatile and unpredictable, it feels unlikely that Gustafsson will still be on the board at No. 21. It’s certainly possible, but it’s difficult to envision enough teams passing on a defenseman with his combination of size, defensive reliability, and professional experience for him to slip out of the teens. Unless the Flyers trade up, Gustafsson will probably be off the board before they have a chance to make their selection.
What scouts are saying
“If teams are looking for a blueliner with a larger frame, Gustafsson could go higher. I’m just not fully convinced he’s more than a big body. Gustafsson is a 6-foot-4 defender who played well in the SHL, despite having little to show for it on the scoresheet. His skating is good for his size, allowing him to play a very mobile game. Gustafsson rarely struggles to get the puck out of his zone. A lack of flash and high-end offensive instinct likely won’t help his draft projection, but there’s still a ton to like about the way he defends and takes up space.”
—Steven Ellis, Daily Faceoff
“Gustafsson is an interesting prospect. The left-shot defender is an excellent skater who appears capable of producing more offence as he matures. He competed in Sweden’s top pro league for most of the year, but his time on ice ranged wildly. There were nights he was deployed for less than five minutes, but also games that saw him skate over 15 total minutes. When he competed with the U18 national team Gustafsson was deployed in all situations and averaged over 24 minutes per game. I see a path forward where Gustafsson becomes a more defined two-way defenceman who will contribute some secondary/depth offence. The majority of his ice time will always come at even strength and on the power play.”
—Jason Bukala, Sportsnet
“Gustafsson is a large defenseman who is quite mobile for his frame, competes defensively and has quality offensive skills. His puck play isn’t anything special, but he has good hands and IQ and can make all the basic plays while showing enough poise to create secondary offense in the NHL. Gustafsson shines defensively, with excellent gap control and a heavy element in his game. He projects as a top-four defenseman who can match up with good forwards.”
—Corey Pronman, The Athletic
The newest addition to poll is Oliver Suvanto, a 6-foot-3 left-shot center who plays for Tappara in Liiga. There was a time when Suvanto was in the top ten conversation, but concerns about his offensive upside appear to have dropped him down a few spots.
“Suvanto is a big, strong, driven forward who plays in the middle third and goes to the net. He’s willing to play through and into contact. He skates well enough; once he builds, he can play with power, though he could stand to get a little quicker (in his feet and mind at times). He’s strong on the cycle and the forecheck, winning and then holding pucks along the wall. He’s physical and competitive. He can shoot it. He has good instincts. But the final execution and playmaking just aren’t there, and so a lot of shifts end up in the offensive zone along the wall and below the goal line without finishing plays to go along with it. He’s going to be an NHLer. He’s also one of the youngest players in this class and developed quickly from last year to this year, but he’s also physically mature at an early age, and I’m not sure he’ll benefit from his birthday as much as some others.”
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
