The Minnesota Wild are deep in defenders. One of the big parts of that depth is young Swedish defenseman Gustav Olofsson, who looks to take his unique hybrid European and North American style of defense to Minnesota very soon.
It is no secret that the Minnesota Wild have been flush with defensive talent in the last couple of years. Through excellent scouting and drafting and a few free-agent signings the Wild have built a pool of defensive talent. That talent pool is deep enough to where the team has seriously contemplated trading a part of it because they know there’s solid options in-house to fill in. One of those options is the largely talented but untested Swede Gustav Olofsson. He certainly plays into the future of the Wild, so who is he and when can we expect him to be ready to fulfill a top six roll with the Wild?
Olofsson has been on the State of Hockey’s radar since being drafted by the Wild in the second round of the 2013 draft. Before that though, his road to the Wild may have started in Sweden, but Olofsson is a product of the same development leagues that have produced many of the best American players. He actually played most of his youth hockey in California with some moves back and forth to Sweden to play for the Swedish national team.
From there Olofsson went to play in USHL in Green Bay as well as the NCAA at Colorado College. Unlike his Swedish peers, Olofsson has learned the game from an almost purely North American perspective. That has made him a pure defender that is ready to take on the physical and larger forwards in a smaller rink that most European defenders seem to have issues adjusting to.
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His shoulder injury one game into the 2014-15 AHL season initially raised concerns about his durability going forward after having to be out the entire season. Olofsson worked hard and made a solid comeback in 2015-16 to play 52 games in Iowa, and also made his NHL debut playing two games up with Minnesota. So it looks like his health issues might be past him.
His scoring numbers are relatively low with only 17 points last season in Iowa, and no points in his two NHL contests. Still his movement and size seem to be his strength. His stay at home style of defense doesn’t mean he can’t move the puck and join the rush, it just really means that Olofsson’s main focus is defense. The best way to describe his style is that he has the size, mentality, and skill set of fellow Swede Jonas Brodin.
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There’s a buzz that Olofsson could make the Wild out of training camp. That will most likely be an option only if the Wild move one or more of their defenders in a trade. If the current defensive group is intact, most likely Olofsson will be starting the season in Iowa but he’ll see a lot more action in the NHL with the chance to get some games in over a few call-ups throughout the year. The expectation after next season would be that Olofsson, depending on his play in his call-ups, will more than likely plug-in full-time up with Minnesota.
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Olofsson is a talent that is on the rise for sure. He’s got a bit more developing to do, but Olofsson right now looks like he’ll deliver on his expectations and provide solid defense for the Wild. His perfect mix of European and North American styles could prove to be something that can give him the mobility and physicality to be a defensive stalwart for years to come.