Vancouver Canucks: 11 NCAA UFAs Vancouver Could Target
C Hampus Gustafsson
If you came here for some dark-horse prospects, Swedish forward Hampus Gustafsson is your man. A 6-foot-4, 205-pound centre for Merrimack College, Gustafsson is not getting as much attention as other NCAA free agents.
The reason is as simple as it is obvious, Gustafsson is not a big scorer and rather projects to be a grinding bottom-six centre at the professional level.
A big-bodied centre, Gustafsson is best when he is battling for the puck. He uses his body well to hold off defending players and battle for the puck in the corners. However, he also knows how to set up plays or bury the puck in the net himself.
Through 110 NCAA games in three seasons at Merrimack, Gustafsson has 23 goals and 61 points. Out of those 61, 51 came in the last two seasons.
The Canucks seem all set at centre, from first-liner Henrik Sedin all the way down to depth guys like Michael Zalewski. Therefore, Gustafsson might not be all that high on Bennings list. But, Gustafsson is definitely worth taking a look at.
Next: C Kalle Kossila