Islanders Sign Malte Gustafsson To Entry-Level Contract

The New York Islanders have signed defenseman Malte Gustafsson to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced today.

The 18-year-old was selected 13th overall in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft. His ELC will pay him $3.23MM total over the contracts three year span at a $1.075MM cap hit. The deal could expire in 2029, when Gustafsson will turn 21-years-old. It should be noted that he’ll remain in Sweden for one more season at least, according to EP. At season’s end, if he comes to North America and doesn’t play in 10 NHL games, the first year can slide to 2027-28 and start then, per Stefen Rosner.

Gustafsson made his Swedish Hockey League debut with HV71 last season at age 17 and spent the majority of the 2025-26 campaign there, scoring three assists in 27 games. With the U20 team, he scored 4 goals for 12 points in 19 games. For his native Sweden, he won a gold medal as an alternate captain at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Juniors, posting five points in six games, which earned him a spot in the tournament’s All-Star Team. He was also an alternate captain at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring six points in five games en route to a silver medal.

Along with an impressive resume, his play joins that high regard. At 6-foot-4, Gustafsson is known as a physical and dominant minute-eating defender, according to his Elite Prospects Draft profile. His ability to play games for long stretches of time and remain responsible in his role, especially up in the SHL, solidified him as a solid pick for any team in the middle of the first round.

What makes him such an intriguing player is his floor, which, along with his shutdown first-mentality, presents great poise in transition as a puck-carrier and can evade pressure. If he can work on more of his skating and puck-handling, scouts see him as an NHL Top-4 defenseman in a blue line corps.