Gustav Olofsson
Image: Rick Schaffer

Gustav Olofsson

Hometown:

Borås Sweden

Team:

Minnesota Wild

Currently Playing In:

Pro

Birthday:

1994-12-01
Position:

D

Eligible for draft:

2013
Shoots:

Left
Drafted:

2013
Height:

6-2
Acquired:

2nd round (46th overall), 2013
Weight:

190 lbs.
<<<<<<< Updated upstream
History

2009-10: Gustav Olofsson returned to Sweden after playing youth hockey in California and skated for IF Bjorkloven and participated in the TV-Pucken tournament for high school age players in Sweden. He played for Vasterbotten in the tournament and had 1 assist with 4 penalty minutes in seven games.

2010-11: Olofsson moved back to the United States and played for the Colorado Thunderbirds U16 midget team. He scored 5 goals with 10 assists and had 18 penalty minutes in 35 games. Olofsson was selected by Green Bay in the second round (29th overall) of the 2011 USHL Entry Draft.

2011-12: Olofsson made his USHL debut, playing in three November games for Green Bay, and was the second leading scorer for the Colorado Thunderbirds U18 team. He had 1 assist and was +1 in his brief time with the Gamblers. Olofsson scored 5 goals with a team-high 25 assists and had 10 penalty minutes in 38 games for the Thunderbirds. In March he committed to playing hockey at Colorado College in either 2013-14 or 2014-15.

2012-13: Olofsson was named to the USHL’s All-Rookie team in his first season with Green Bay and played in the USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. He played 63 games for the Gamblers and scored 2 goals with 21 assists and was +11 with 59 penalty minutes. The defending Clark Cup champions, Green Bay finished second in the East Division but were beaten by Youngstown in the playoff quarterfinals. Olofsson was scoreless and -2 in the four game series. He was ranked 51st amongst North American skaters in Central Scouting’s final rankings prior to the 2013 NHL Draft.

2013-14: Olofsson made his pro hockey debut in April — signing a three-year entry-level contract with Minnesota in March 2014 following his freshman season at Colorado College and joining Wild AHL affiliate Iowa. He scored 1 goal and was -1 with 2 penalty minutes in eight AHL games. Iowa missed the AHL playoffs; finishing fifth in the Midwest Division. Playing on the top defense pair for Colorado College with junior Peter Stoykewych (WPG), he scored 4 goals with 4 assists and was -12 with 20 penalty minutes. Colorado College finished seventh in the first season of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference and was swept by North Dakota in an NCHC quarterfinal series. 

2014-15: Olofsson skated with the Wild in the Traverse City prospect tournament and impressed in training camp with Minnesota before being assigned to AHL affiliate Iowa. He skated in one game, suffering a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.

2015-16: Olofsson made his NHL debut with the Wild in a November 19th game against Boston and appeared in two games with Minnesota, spending most of the season with the AHL’s Iowa Wild. He had no points nor penalties, averaging nine minutes of ice time with Minnesota. Olofsson played 52 games with Iowa, scoring 2 goals with 15 assists, and was -11 with 12 penalty minutes for the last-place Wild, who missed the AHL playoffs for the third straight season. 

Talent Analysis

Olofsson is a lanky, mobile defender. He is capable of joining the rush and has a big shot but is viewed more as a stay-at-home type.

Future

Olofsson appeared in two NHL games with the Wild and played for Minnesota AHL affiliate Iowa, getting back into the lineup in 2015-16 after missing the previous season with a shoulder injury. Expected to challenge for a full-time spot in the Minnesota Wild defense corps next season, Olofsson projected as a top-four defender prior to getting hurt and should be close to getting back to that potential after a full summer of conditioning.

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