Scouting Report on Jonas Gustavsson

Swedish goaltender Jonas Gustavsson will play in the NHL next season and has several suitors to consider when it comes time to make his decision after the World Championships. The 24-year-old free agent was named the top goalie in the Swedish Elite League this season. McKeen's director of scouting Max Giese was a former goaltender himself and he filed this report on Gustavsson after viewing him at the World Championships.

Jonas Gustavsson (UFA), G, Farjestad

A large butterfly goaltender that fills the net and can make athletic stops .. Gustavsson's bread and butter is stationing himself near the top of the crease, taking away most of the net from the shooter before hitting his compact butterfly .. when in the butterfly his height is advantageous because it allows his shoulders to cover the upper portion of the net while his legs fill the lower half .. has a very low sagging stance in which he advertises a gaping five-hole, however he collapses into the butterfly on every save to instantaneously shut it .. he's fairly mobile from the butterfly, although he needs to work on his lateral movement, as he more so stretches his limbs instead of getting a nice push off to face the shooter .. most European goaltenders play too deep in their crease and don't understand how to properly play the angles, but Gustavsson proactively challenges shooters and cuts down the angle .. typically will exploit his size and sound positioning by hitting the butterfly to play the percentages against shooters in tight, but he also boasts the flexibility and quickness in his lower extremities to make sudden kick saves to stone a crafty shooter .. effectively plays the middle of the net and can snap pucks out of the air with his trapper .. has good focus and fights through screens .. can rely on his athleticism to make timely stops, but the key is to get him moving because he tends to sag in his stance with a forward lean that exposes him to sudden movements of the puck .. bit of a slow starter and his rebound control suffers early in the game, however he settles in nicely and swallows up the rebounds as the game progresses .. a polished goaltender that is ready to assume a backup role in the NHL next season and potentially more in the near future for an organization with strong coaching at the position.