Gustafsson Completes Islanders Development Camp with Confidence

Malte Gustafsson, the New York Islanders’ 2026 first-round pick, had quite a week.

Just days after hearing his name called 13^th overall at the 2026 NHL Draft, Gustafsson headed straight to Long Island to report to New York Islanders Development Camp. The week gave him an introduction to the Islanders organization, from on-ice sessions to team-building activities.

“It’s been great, I learned a lot,” Gustafsson said. “On the ice and off the ice. It was a great week.”

By the end of camp, Gustafsson’s teammates noticed how far he’s come in a short span. The 18-year-old zipped around the ice in practice and displayed more confidence than he came into camp with.

“He definitely adjusted quickly and saw I thought he got even better throughout camp,” Danny Nelson said on Thursday. “Especially today, he was flying around, had a few goals, and definitely is an aggressive skater. He’s going to be a really good player.”

Though Gustafsson describes himself as reserved, it didn’t take long for his teammates to bring him out of his shell.

“We kind of hit it off, he likes to laugh and have fun,” Kashawn Aitcheson, the 17^th overall pick in 2025, said. “We had a lot of back and forth, a lot of chirping and joking around. Super pumped that we got him, and yeah, just excited for his future.”

While Gustafsson didn’t know many players entering camp, fellow Swede and 2025 16^th overall pick Victor Eklund helped the transition. Though the two had crossed paths in the Swedish Hockey League, Islanders Development Camp gave them a chance to get to know each other.

“He’s been great,” Gustafsson said of Eklund. “He’s been showing me around and keeping an eye on me.”

There were plenty of off-ice team bonding events to help Gustafsson feel more comfortable in a new organization. Gustafsson is a huge baseball fan, so Monday’s team trip to Yankees Stadium was certainly a highlight. He also received a warm welcome from the fanbase, as he had a formal introduction to the fans during Wednesday’s Blue and White Scrimmage.

“It’s amazing to have them here,” Gustafsson said about fans attending the scrimmage. “I felt a bit nervous coming out to the game yesterday and playing in front of the fans, but it felt amazing.”

Any nerves the 18-year-old had quickly melted away, as Islanders Head Coach Pete DeBoer noticed the 2026 first-rounder’s confidence grow as the scrimmage wore on.

“I thought he came as advertised," DeBoer said. "He's a big cat, covers a lot of ice. He's got a great disposition when you talk to him and he's mature beyond his years. In the game yesterday, I thought he got better as it went on. In the second period you started to see him get more confident.”

Though the game is similar, the added challenge for European skaters when coming to North America is the smaller rink. Gustafsson, who played his entire junior and professional career up until this point in Sweden, got his first taste of a North American rink.

“I had to adapt, I went right into the boards in practice earlier this week,” Gustafsson said. “The rink feels tighter, just tighter spaces [where] it’s easier to close in on people. Easier to play my game.”

At 6’4” and 203 lbs., the left shot defenseman combines size with mobility as a poised, two-way skater. He’s coming off his first SHL campaign with HV71, where he recorded three assists through 27 games.

“You see his size and he's a really good skater with all that size, which is rare,” Aitcheson said. “Playing against him in the scrimmage, he was really good defensively, really good stick.”

After he got drafted, Gustafsson told the media that being annoying is part of his game. His teammates seem to agree.

“He seems like he's a pest to play against,” Aitcheson said. “He’ll be a lot for some forwards to handle in years to come.”

After a whirlwind first week as an Islander, Gustafsson now turns his attention toward another season in Sweden, armed with a better understanding of what it will take to reach the NHL.

“I just want to keep working and put on some muscles,” Gustafsson said. “Just take the things I’ve learned here and keep working.”