Draft-Eligible D Malte Gustafsson Making an Impact in the SHL

Malte Gustafsson is an intriguing defensive prospect for the 2026 NHL Draft. He started the season with an impressive Hlinka Gretzky Cup and has only continued to build on that since then. Over the past period, he has made several appearances in the SHL, and yesterday he logged a career-high in ice time of over 21 minutes.

Gustafsson has made a smooth transition to the professional game. His skating speed and coordinated movement stand out for a 6-foot-4 defenseman, even at the SHL level. That mobility allows him to create passing lanes and exploit them with his strong hockey sense.

During last night’s game, he stood out for his progressive play and willingness to move the puck out of the defensive zone. He showed poise under pressure on retrievals and consistently delivered constructive first passes. As he gains experience at the professional level, both his accuracy and overall puck management should continue to improve. His performance earned praise from head coach Anton Blomqvist.

“Selfishly, I’m glad he isn’t away playing in the World Juniors,” said Anton Blomqvist to the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet after the game.

He went on to heap praise on the young defenseman.

“He masters every part of the game. I’m hugely impressed and happy for his sake as well. Then we’ll take it easy with him and find the right path. We have to make sure we have a good environment around him,” said HV71 head coach Anton Blomqvist.

Gustafsson himself took the generous ice time in stride.

“I didn’t think much about the ice time, but of course it’s fun. I think it went completely okay — a bit sloppy at times, but looking at everything overall, still pretty good,” he told Aftonbladet after the game.

Gustafsson is rightly ranked among the top prospects in the upcoming draft. The Hockey News’ Tony Ferrari placed him 11th overall in his December rankings. To push into higher territory, his play away from the puck in the defensive zone needs to become more reliable, and improved puck accuracy would strengthen his case as a potential top-15 selection. At this stage, Gustafsson projects as a future top-four defenseman with two-way upside at the NHL level.

With a strong second half of the season, both Gustafsson’s projection and draft stock could improve. It’s uncommon for a young defenseman to earn that level of trust in the SHL with a club fighting relegation, but Gustafsson has already shown he can contribute at the professional level.

Sweden Holds Off Slovakia to Open World Juniors with Narrow Win Sweden opened the World Juniors with a 3–2 win over Slovakia, leaning on a strong power play to hold off a determined Slovak push.