Erik Gustafsson (ice hockey, born 1992)

For the Swedish ice hockey defenceman born in 1988, see Erik Gustafsson (ice hockey, born 1988).

Erik Gustafsson
Gustafsson with Frölunda HC in 2013
Born	(1992-03-14) 14 March 1992 (age 32) Nynäshamn, Sweden
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb)
Position	Defence
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Detroit Red Wings Djurgårdens IF Frölunda HC Chicago Blackhawks Calgary Flames Philadelphia Flyers Montreal Canadiens Washington Capitals Toronto Maple Leafs New York Rangers
National team	Sweden
NHL draft	93rd overall, 2012 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	2011–present

Erik Gustafsson (born 14 March 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Chicago Blackhawks, Calgary Flames, Philadelphia Flyers, Montreal Canadiens, Washington Capitals, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers. Gustafsson was selected by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round, 93rd overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Gustafsson began playing hockey in Nynäshamns IF, ^[1] before moving to Djurgårdens IF's youth organisation. Gustafsson represented team Stockholm in the 2008 TV-pucken, a national junior tournament, scoring four assists. He played the 2008–09 season with Djurgården's under-18 team. In the following season, Gustafsson played for both the under-18 team and the J20-team. For the 2010–11 season, Gustafsson had a permanent place in the J20-team which won their division and ended up third in the playoffs. He extended his contract with Djurgårdens IF in May 2011 through to the 2013–14 season. ^[2]

Gustafsson was called to make his Elitserien (now the Swedish Hockey League (SHL)) debut in the 2011–12 season opener against HV71 on 15 September 2011, but did not receive any game-time. In his second game, against Brynäs IF on 27 September 2011, he made his on-ice debut, playing six minutes of the game. ^[3] Gustafsson scored his first Elitserien goal on 26 December 2011 against Fredrik Norrena of Linköpings HC. ^[4]

On 23 June 2012, at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, Gustafsson was selected in the fourth round, 93rd overall by the Edmonton Oilers.

On 4 April 2013, with Djurgårdens IF demoted to the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan, Gustafsson left the team to sign a contract with SHL club Frölunda HC. ^[5]

After two successful seasons establishing himself with Frölunda, and with his NHL playing rights not retained by Edmonton, on 30 April 2015, Gustafsson signed a two-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks. ^[6]

Chicago Blackhawks

Gustafsson playing with the Chicago Blackhawks in January 2018

Gustafsson began the 2017–18 season with Chicago's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs, but was recalled to the NHL on 9 January 2018. ^[7] He recorded his first NHL goal and added an assist in a 7–3 loss to the New York Islanders on 20 January. ^[8] On 6 March, Gustafsson signed a two-year contract extension with Chicago. ^[9]

Calgary Flames

In the 2019–20 season, Gustafsson entering the final season of his contract was unable to keep his scoring pace from the previous season. Adding 6 goals and 26 points in 59 games and with the Blackhawks out of contention for a playoff berth, Gustafsson was dealt by Chicago at the NHL trade deadline to the Calgary Flames in exchange for a 2020 third-round pick on 24 February 2020. ^[10]

Philadelphia Flyers

Un-signed from the Flames, Gustafsson left as a free agent at the conclusion of his contract and later agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract with the Philadelphia Flyers on 12 October 2020. ^[11] In the pandemic delayed 2020–21 season, he appeared in 24 games with the Flyers recording 1 goal and 10 points. Unable to cement a role within the Flyers blueline he was dealt at the trade deadline to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a seventh-round pick in 2022 on 12 April 2021. ^[12]

Return to Chicago

On 21 September 2021, Gustafsson was signed to a professional tryout contract (PTO) by the New York Islanders. ^[13] On 10 October, Gustafsson was released from his PTO and signed a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, marking his second stint with the team. ^{[14] [15]}

Washington Capitals and Toronto Maple Leafs

At the conclusion of his contract with the Blackhawks, Gustafsson left as a free agent and was signed to a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Washington Capitals on 13 July 2022. ^[16] In the 2022–23 season, on 17 December, Gustafsson scored his first three goals of the season for his first career hat-trick in a win over the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. ^[17] With his ice-time elevated due to an injury to leading defenceman John Carlson, Gustafsson was rejuvenated with the Capitals, scoring 7 goals and 31 assist for 38 points in 61 regular season games. As a pending free agent and with the Capitals looking out of the playoffs, on 28 February, 2023, three days before the trade deadline, Gustafsson was traded to the Maple Leafs, along with a first-round pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, in exchange for defenceman Rasmus Sandin. ^[18]

New York Rangers

Gustafsson playing with the New York Rangers in 2023

As a free agent from the Maple Leafs, Gustafsson signed a one-year, $825,000 contract with the New York Rangers on 1 July 2023. During the 2023–24 season he recorded six goals and 25 assists in 76 games for the Rangers. ^[19]

Detroit Red Wings

On 1 July 2024, Gustafsson signed a two-year, $4 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. ^[20]

Personal life

Gustafsson's younger brother Glenn is also a professional hockey player, currently playing for Örebro HK in the SHL. ^[21]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2008–09	Djurgårdens IF	J18		22	2	7	9	10		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Djurgårdens IF	J18 Allsv		11	0	1	1	12		2	0	0	0	0
2009–10	Djurgårdens IF	J18		15	4	7	11	24		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Djurgårdens IF	J18 Allsv		12	3	6	9	30		3	0	0	0	0
2009–10	Djurgårdens IF	J20		24	0	8	8	26		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Djurgårdens IF	J20		38	2	21	23	104		4	0	1	1	6
2011–12	Djurgårdens IF	J20		21	3	11	14	14		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Djurgårdens IF	SEL		41	3	4	7	16		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	Djurgårdens IF	Allsv		49	7	16	23	52		6	1	0	1	30
2013–14	Frölunda HC	SHL		50	2	18	20	16		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	Frölunda HC	SHL		55	4	25	29	22		12	1	2	3	31
2015–16	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		27	3	8	11	38		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		41	0	14	14	4		5	0	1	1	0
2016–17	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		68	5	25	30	40		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Rockford IceHogs	AHL		25	3	14	17	18		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		35	5	11	16	6		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		79	17	43	60	34		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		59	6	20	26	25		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Calgary Flames	NHL		7	0	3	3	2		10	0	4	4	2
2020–21	Philadelphia Flyers	NHL		24	1	9	10	0		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Montreal Canadiens	NHL		5	0	2	2	0		16	1	2	3	0
2021–22	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		59	3	15	18	14		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Washington Capitals	NHL		61	7	31	38	21		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Toronto Maple Leafs	NHL		9	0	4	4	2		2	1	0	1	0
2023–24	New York Rangers	NHL		76	6	25	31	35		16	0	3	3	8
SHL totals				146	9	47	56	54		12	1	2	3	31
NHL totals				455	45	177	222	143		49	2	10	12	10

Medal record
Representing Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2018 Denmark

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2016	Sweden	WC	6th		8	0	2	2	0
2018	Sweden	WC			6	0	1	1	2
2019	Sweden	WC	5th		8	2	2	4	2
2022	Sweden	WC	6th		8	0	7	7	4
Senior totals					30	2	12	14	8

References

1. "Erik Gustafsson" (PDF). Swedish Ice Hockey Association . Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
2. "Juniortrio förlänger med DIF". Djurgårdens IF Hockey (in Swedish). 24 May 2011. Archived from the original on 21 September 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
3. "Djurgårdens IF - Brynäs IF - Statistik". hockeyligan.se (in Swedish). Svenska Hockeyligan. 30 September 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2011. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
4. "Djurgården vann streckmatchen". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 26 December 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
5. "Alexander Wennberg and Erik Gustafsson to Frolunda" (in Swedish). Frölunda HC. 4 April 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
6. "Blackhawks agree to terms with Gustafsson". Chicago Blackhawks . 30 April 2015. Retrieved 3 May 2015.
7. Skrbina, Paul (20 January 2018). "Erik Gustafsson hopes patience pays off with Blackhawks". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
8. The Canadian Press (21 January 2018). "Pulock helps Islanders rout slumping Blackhawks". TSN.ca. Chicago. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
9. "Blackhawks agree to terms with Gustafsson and Sikura". Chicago Blackhawks . 6 March 2018. Retrieved 6 March 2018.
10. "Flames acquire pair of defencemen". Calgary Flames. 24 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
11. "Flyers sign D Erik Gustafsson". Philadelphia Flyers. 12 October 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2020.
12. "Canadiens acquire Erik Gustafsson". Montreal Canadiens. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2021.
13. Wright, Cory (21 September 2021). "Five Takeaways: Lou Lamoriello's Pre-Training Camp Press Conference". NHL.com. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
14. "RELEASE: Blackhawks Sign Erik Gustafsson to One-Year Deal". NHL.com. 11 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
15. "Blackhawks to sign D Gustafsson after Isles PTO release". TSN.ca. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
16. "Capitals sign Erik Gustafsson". Washington Capitals. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
17. "Gustafsson's unlikely hat trick leads Caps". NBC Sports. 17 December 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
18. "Capitals acquire Rasmus Sandin from Toronto Maple Leafs". Washington Capitals. 28 February 2023. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
19. "Rangers agree to terms with Erik Gustafsson". New York Rangers. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
20. Roth, Thomas (1 July 2024). "Red Wings sign defenseman Erik Gustafsson to two-year contract". NHL.com. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
21. "Glenn Gustafsson". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 20 November 2018.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Eurohockey.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database