David Gustafsson

September 2023 – Gustafsson signed a two-year contract with an AAV of $775,000 in the NHL on August 10, 2022, with the Winnipeg Jets. The deal was a two-way contract in 2022-23 and a one-way contract in 2023-24. In the 2022-23 season, he played 46 regular season and three playoff games with the Jets. In the final year of his contract, Gustafsson will look to solidify a more prominent role with Winnipeg’s bottom-six forwards this season. He will be a restricted free agent after the 2023-24 campaign. Mark Henry

May 2022 – Despite some poor luck at the NHL level this season featuring 4:55 total ice time, across two games with two separate injuries, Gustafsson’s development took the expected strides as he spent most of the season as the Manitoba Moose 1C. Although his game is not overly flashy, Gustafsson’s 0.64 PPG is nothing to sneeze at, cracking the top-five on the Moose. The strong intelligence in his game makes him a reliable player, effectively logging heavy minutes in all situations. Since the Jets penalty kill ranked bottom-five, with bottom-half power-play numbers to boot, they should gladly welcome Gustafsson’s services.

Proving his worth at the AHL level as a responsible 200-foot pivot with a tasteful skillset, it’s Gustafsson’s willingness to engage, faceoff efficiency, and attention to detail that seems to be just what the doctor ordered for the Jets. The Moose were bounced in the Divisional Semi-Final, giving Gustafsson an extended offseason to prepare for training camp, where I fully expect him to earn a bottom-six pivot role to start the 2022/23 season, with potential to grow into a middle-six option. Look for him to post strong faceoff numbers, peripherals, and see plenty of penalty kill action for the Jets. First order of business; get Gus signed to a new contact (RFA) before anything can come to fruition. Justin Kaye

March 2020 – Gustafsson suffered a minor injury in Sweden’s bronze medal win over Finland at the World Juniors. There was some confusion about whether he would return to Sweden following the tournament or continue playing hockey in North America, but he joined the Moose for the second half of the season. Jamie Zadow

December 2019 – Gustafsson has found a place on the Jets roster in a fourth line checking role. Now, he will join a Sweden team looking to avenge last year’s early exit in the quarterfinals at the World Junior Championships.  Not known for his offensive prowess, Gustafsson figures to the start the tournament on the top line. Jamie Zadow

June 2018 – Gustafsson finished his rookie season in the SHL with six goals and 12 points in 45 games. He scored all those points at even strength and only played about 11 minutes per game. He also took over 400 faceoffs and won exactly 50% of them. At the U18 World Championship tournament, Gustafsson scored two goals and seven points in seven games. He also took more faceoffs than anyone in the tournament and won 70.55% of them.  Jokke Nevalainen

March 2018 – David Gustafsson is only 17 years old but has already played a full season in the SHL on HV71 – a team that won the SHL Championship last season and is on its way to the playoffs yet again. Gustafsson is physically mature and defensively reliable which is why he’s able to play in the SHL at such a young age but has shown a little more offensively as the season has progressed. He’s a natural center and already good on faceoffs at the SHL level but needs to continue working on his skating and offensive tools. Gustafsson was one of the final cuts from Sweden’s World Junior Championship team in December.  Jokke Nevalainen