Filip Gustavsson

2015-16 Team: Luleå HF J20 (#1)

Date of birth: June 7th, 1998

Place of birth: Skellefteå, Sweden

Ht: 6’2” Wt: 185 lbs

Catches: Left

Position: G

NHL Draft Eligibility: 2016 1st year eligible

THW The Next Ones Ranking (February): Unranked

Other Rankings:

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Gustavsson raised eyebrows when he stepped into the SHL with Luleå HF playing six games and recording a 2.17 goals against average to go along with a decent .910 save percentage. He also dominated the World Junior Under-18 tournament for the Swedish team with a 2.70 average in five games.

While he’s not the top ranked goaltender in the draft, Gustavsson is the top European goalie according to NHL Central Scouting. With his ability to stay square to the shooter and his poise in moving from side to side, Gustavsson could be one of the more developmentally ready goalies in the upcoming draft.

He was awarded the top goaltender award at the U18 tournament and while he still has to adapt to North American game, Gustavsson should be an interesting pick for teams looking to rebuild their prospect pool between the pipes.

NHL Draft Projection:

While goaltenders can sometimes be a wild card pick, Gustavsson is a prospect that numerous NHL teams would likely be interested in. That being said, he would likely be a few years away from making the jump to the NHL which will keep him out of the first round. Look for someone to take a chance on Gustavsson’s pure ability late in the second round or early to mid third round.

Quotables:

Filip Gustavsson and Gusten Lundh have the size and big-game pedigree to provide Sweden with great stability between the pipes.

Brendan Ross, McKeen’s Hockey

He’s got great size. He’s a really good goaltender. He fills the net really well. Technically – I mean he’s a really technical goaltender. Very focused. His footwork is very strong – he sets himself and gets square to the shot. But with Gustavsson, there’s just a couple things he needs to work on and one of them is his athleticism.

Tyler Bilton, European NHL Scout on The Pipeline Show

Statistics:

Strengths:

Good Vision and tracking ability
Technically sound
Positioning
Square to the shot
Size

Under Construction (Improvements to Make):

Fill out his frame
Athleticism
Stays deep in his net
Consistency

NHL Potential:

Gustavsson certainly has the ability to play at all levels as he showed with his brief stint in the SHL. He’s going to have to learn to play at the top of his crease if he wants to fully adapt to the North American game and add consistency to his game. He’s fundamentally sound as a goaltender and has a lot of upside to his game. He won’t be a starter in the next few years, but could bloom into a solid starting goalie at the NHL level.

NHL Player(s) Comparison – Henrik Lundqvist

Risk-Reward Analysis:

Risk: 2.5/5 Reward: 3.5/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential:

Goaltending: 7/10

Shots From the Slot (Interesting Notes):

Gustavsson is the top ranked European goalie according the NHL Central Scouting. Including international play in 2015-16, he played with three separate teams including Sweden (Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament), Luleå HF J20 (in the SuperElit) and Luleå HF (in SHL).

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THW’s The Next Ones prospect profile template design architect: Chris Ralph