"After joining the Panthers in January, Gustav had a career season setting personal records and establishing his defensive game to bolster our blueline," said Zito. "We are looking forward to watching him continue to develop his game with our club."
Forsling, 25, competed in 43 regular season games with the Panthers this year, recording 17 points (5-12-17) and played in six postseason games scoring one goal and one assist in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 6-foot, 186-pound native of Linköping, Sweden set a career best in games played (43-tied), goals (5), assists (12), points (17), plus-minus (+17) and shots (94) and ranked second among Florida defenseman in plus-minus, even-strength points (13) and shorthanded time on ice (107:02) during the 2020-21 regular season.
Originally selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the fifth round (126th overall) of the 2014 National Hockey League Draft, Forsling has appeared in 165 career regular season NHL games, recording 44 points (13-31-44) with Florida (2020-21) and Chicago (2016-17 to 2018-19).
Prior to playing in North America, Forsling played for the Linköping HC organization including two professional seasons in the Swedish Hockey League. As a junior player in 2015-16 with Linköping HC J20, Forsling was named best defenseman and Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year.
On the international stage, Forsling represented Sweden at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2015 and 2016. In 2015, he led the tournament's defensemen in goals (3), assists (5) and points (8) and in 2016 was tied for the lead among the tournament's defensemen in goals (2).
Learn how you can join Panthers Territory today! Call954-835-PUCK, click here or visit FloridaPanthers.com/TerritoryMemberships for more information or to book a private tour of BB&T Center.
With construction now fully underway, the Florida Panthers' FTL War Memorial Auditorium will debut in 2022 as the team's new state-of-the-art practice facility and a vibrant sports, entertainment, and community recreation hub in Fort Lauderdale's Holiday Park. The revitalized community destination will continue to serve as an honored tribute to local military heroes. For the latest updates, visit www.ftlwarmemorial.comand follow @FTLWarMemorial on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
