Gustavsson starts North American tour in search of NHL home
/Andrew's Dallas Stars Page
Highly sought after Swedish goalie Jonas Gustavsson comes to North America this week, visiting four teams as he tries to decide where he wants to play in the NHL. He's narrowed his search down to four teams, the Stars are one of them and Gustavsson is expected to visit Dallas the middle of this week.
Stops in San Jose, Toronto and Colorado are also on the tour. Gustavsson, who gained a lot of attention with his superb play in the Swedish Elite League this past season, will visit the four team accompanied by his girlfriend and agent Joe Resnick.
"I have no individual rankings, but go there with an open mind," Gustavsson told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet. "They are all equal.
"We will try to form an idea of what it would be like to live in each city. For me, it is also about trying to get to know each organization and see how the training conditions are."
Money and contract length won't be a consideration. Under the CBA, each team can basically offer Gustavsson the same thing.
"We have to do a one-year," Resnick told The Fan 590 in Toronto last week. "Jonas is subject still to the entry-level, so he's a one-year deal."
And that means the money will be the same as well. Gustavsson said he that's an advantage.
"In a way it's nice there is no economic impact, so as not to make a stupid decision because of a little more money," he told Aftonbladet.
What is different with the teams is their goaltending situations. Dallas, San Jose and Toronto have established veterans holding down the top job. In Colorado, things appear to be a little more wide open.
"I want to continue to develop and play as many games as possible. What I want to know is that I am on the team in earnest, then it does not matter if I am number one or number two," Gustavsson said. "I know I have to take opportunities that arise."
Resnick said there are some considerations that he and Gustavsson will take into account as they sort through the various options. Among them will be the "comfort level" between Gustavsson and the organization. And there are others.
"Goaltenders all want to play, but you want to protect the goaltenders as well," Resnick told the Fan 590. "So, I'll give you a scenario. San Jose could have one of the best defenses in the league. That's a plus for San Jose in the way of blocked shots, shots on net. That sure helps the goalie.
"I think one of the biggest factors is what you can learn as far as a mentor point of view."
In other words, what could Gustavsson learn from the veteran goalie on the club.
Resnick said he expects the tour to take eight to nine days, then it will be back to Sweden to mull over the options and make a decision.
"I would like to have it done sooner than later for a couple of reasons," Resnick said. "It gives Jonas the opportunity, once he makes his decision, to come over to the city, find housing and all that, but at the same time some of the teams have the summer camps. It would be a good opportunity for Jonas to work with the goaltender coach while they potentially have their rookie camp, get on the ice again and spend some time in North America."
Jonas Gustavsson Profile
| Jonas Gustavsson | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vital Info | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born: October 24, 1984 in
Danderyd, Sweden Height/Weight: 6-3/192 pounds Position: Goalie Catches: Left 2008-09 Team: Färjestad (Swedish Elite League) |
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| 2008-09 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gustavsson made a name for himself in the Swedish Elite League, leading the SEL with a 1.96 goals against average and a .931 save percentage. He was even more impressive in the playoffs, leading Färjestad to the league championship with a 12-1-0 record, a 1.03 goals against average, a .961 save percentage and five shutouts. Had a 3-2 record with a 2.83 goals against average and a .914 for Sweden at the 2009 World Championship. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Background | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Played 20 games with Färjestad, ranking sixth in the Swedish Elite League with a 2.29 goals against average and seventh in the league with a .919 save percentage. Had a .891 save percentage and 3.73 goals against average in 10 playoff games. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| What Scouts Say | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| "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. ... 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..." - Max Giese, McKeen's Hockey
"A modern butterfly goalie with
excellent size, Gustavsson reads and diagnoses developing plays very
early and puts himself in perfect position. ... Extremely flexible and
smooth side-to-side." |
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| Quotable | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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"Big, blocking
style of goaltender with athleticism. He obviously plays with a lot of
confidence right now and a great competitive spirit. ... I think
it will be a very short adjustment to him being an NHL goalie if he
arrives. He is not young or inexperienced. He's a little bit older and
little bit more mature. I anticipate just a short adjustment to North
America." "I saw him play in the World
Championships and I think he is a terrific goaltender. The thing you
notice about him is the size of him in the net. They don't call him 'The
Monster' for nothing. When he goes down in the butterfly all you can see
is both skates hanging outside the posts and he still covers a lot of
net. He was impressive to watch. He had good command of the net. He's a
guy a team would be very beneficial to have." |
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