If the Nashville Predators entered the 2024 NHL Draft looking to add more size to their defensive prospect pool, third-round pick Viggo Gustafsson of Väckelsång, Sweden more than fulfilled that goal.
At 6-foot-2, 194 pounds, the Swedish junior league blueliner recorded 19 points (3g-16a) in 41 games for HV71, the second-most among his team’s defensive lineup. Gustafsson additionally represented his country at the 2024 U-18 World Championship, earning bronze after tallying one assist in seven appearances.
Though Gustafsson fell from 51st to 72nd among European skaters by the time NHL Central Scouting’s final draft report landed, the Predators evidently liked what they saw and knew - if given the chance - that they’d be handing the young defenseman a jersey and a ballcap before departing Las Vegas on Saturday.
At 77th overall, they made it happen, and ultimately, landed their only defensive prospect of the draft.
“That's a guy that we had rated quite highly,” Predators Assistant General Manager and Director of Scouting Jeff Kealty said. “He was a little bit under the radar, but he's a big guy, 6-foot-2, plays a two-way game, moves the puck, defends - he just has a ton of upside over time. He's in a really good development situation over in Sweden, and we've had some pretty good luck with those types of guys over the years, guys like Mattias Ekholm. So, that's a guy that we had targeted, for sure.”