Shoots: L
H: 5’10
W: 190 LBS or 86 kg
2021-22 Team: Chicago Steel (USHL)
D.O.B: Dec 16, 2002
Birth Place: Alpharetta, GA, USA
Nationality: USA/Sweden
Introduction
2021 was a weird year. Plenty of leagues last season were shut down which caused a lot of junior players to be undrafted. Gustafsson was a special case, as he barely got any minutes to shine on Chicago, but yet showed a lot of translatable skills. The 5’10 Left shot defender went undrafted in 2021, however, he’s gotten an invite to the Toronto Maple Leafs development camp as Dubas and his staff saw something in him. He did not get a contract but will get an opportunity to get drafted in this year’s entry draft, and I think he will get selected this time. He’s having a fantastic season with 6 pts in his last 5 games to get 17 pts in total in 22 games. Let’s get into the game tape of Gustafsson and see what the USHL Defender brings to the table for an NHL team.
Skating
Lukas Gustafsson is a smooth-skating defenceman with some edges on him. He excels on lateral movement and displays his excellent edge work as he utilizes it while on the blue line in the offensive zone trying to create space for his teammates. He’s able to receive a pass and still maintain momentum as he shifts from his left leg to his right. Although it might seem that the 5’10 defender is slow but that’s not the case, as he positions himself and uses his stick well that he doesn’t need to go at top speed. His strides are long which allows him to get more power out of his skating, but preferably needs to be lower in his stance to maximize his skating ability but even that is getting picky. In terms of his backward skating, Gustafsson is able to generate speed and match his opponent’s speed pretty well while defending the rush in order to close the gap and cause a turnover. Overall, Gustafsson this season showed off his excellent smooth, 4- way mobility ability that can translate to the NHL and is probably an 8.5/10.
Offense
I think for Gustafsson, one of the biggest traits that he excels in his game is his passing ability. He makes excellent tape-to-tape passes that hit his forwards stick more often than not, very effective in the offensive zone as we see him demonstrate high danger cross-ice feeds that almost resulted in a goal. His skating is one of the factors that enhance his passing ability because he uses his feet to confuse the opposing forwards and make a smart pass. With added opportunity given to Gustafsson, He has more freedom to pull out his moves as his stickhandling ability is above-average. He has tons of moves in his arsenal which helps him gain space for himself. Shooting is one of his traits that improve this year as his shots are more accurate and powerful, which contributed to his 5 goals this season. Overall, Gustafsson has taken great strides in his game offensively and shows that he can make an impact offensively if he reaches his potential. His offensive game is 8/10.
Defense
If there’s one way to describe Gustafsson’s defense, it’s very aggressive. He differs from guys like Mats Lindgren as he hounds on opposing forwards as soon as they enter his zone. Gus loves to utilize his stick and his body to separate the forward from the puck. Gustafsson uses his stick to lead forwards to the boards for which he uses his body to either pin them or put them on the ground. Overall, Gustafsson shows that he’s very solid defensively and is probably an 8/10 if I were to rank it.
Conclusion
Overall, Lukas Gustafsson has taken great strides in his development and is a big part of the steel’s core for this year. This upcoming draft will be Gustafsson’s year and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Leafs picked him up. Gustafsson’s projection is probably a 2nd pairing defenceman who’s able to play on the powerplay and I have him ranked 60th in my personal rankings.
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