Scouting Report – Jonas Gustavsson

I’m planning to do a number of scouting reports on goaltenders who have yet to make the NHL, this summer. Goaltending is the position I know best, so as much as I’d love to analyse skaters, I just don’t think I would do a good job at it.

My first installment is on Swedish netminder Jonas Gustavsson. He’s been highly touted as the “best goaltender outside of the NHL” and has been rumoured to be coming over to the NHL to play next season. The 24 year-old has apparently been in contact with the Maple Leafs, Avalanche, Sharks, and Stars. We still don’t know where he’s going to end up, and it’s almost July 1st. Now, I’ve watched as much tape as I could possibly scrounge up on the internet on this guy, and I think I’m ready to give you the facts about Jonas Gustavsson. Is he the real deal? Read on to find out…

First thing that gets noticed about Gustavsson is obviously his size. The guy is huge. He has a 6 foot 4 frame, and knows how to use it. He has been given the nickname “the monster” for good reason. He has a strict butterfly style, and rarely ventures away from it. He doesn’t get caught out of position very often, but when he does, he scrambles well. He has a knack for always knowing where the puck is, even on tips, and in fast-paced scenarios. That’s not something you can teach, and I’m very happy to see that from the guy. His awareness is honestly better than a lot of current NHL starters.

His butterfly style allows him to cover the bottom half of the net very easily. His legs are so long, and take up so much net, shooters shouldn’t even try to score down low on the guy. What if they try to shoot high? He has solid reflexes to fall back on. Reflexes + Size is always a good combo in my books. Another thing I noticed is the fact that he doesn’t challenge a whole lot. He can get away with it, though, because of his size and reflexes. He definitely likes to stay back in his net, more so than most butterfly goaltenders.

He is very good at reading plays. I’ve seen him get out of some very tough situations, because he knew exactly what the other player was going to do. I don’t know if that’s just ability on his part, or if he studies shooters a lot, but it definitely shows. That ability to read plays also shows in his puckhandling. He doesn’t look like the greatest puckhandling goalie ever, but he is able to pass the puck up to his teammates in opportunistic situations. He has a good temper as well, I saw him get hacked at after the whistle a few times, but he just let his defenceman take care of the situation, and skated away.

Now that’s the good. But like every goalie, not every part of his game is that great. Some things I noticed:

He has good, not great rebound control. Same goes for shot recovery. I’d even venture to say that his rebound control is below average for a butterfly goaltender such as himself. His shot recovery could also use some work. Sure he’s able to scramble and make some magnificent saves, but it takes him a very long time to get back up, set, and ready to go.

Maybe I’m just expecting too much because of his great size. I expect him to be able to push across a lot better than most smaller goalies, but the fact is, he’s very average in that department. He doesn’t look exceptionally strong when pushing across. Sure, he’s big and flexible which helps him get by, but his lateral movement could really use some work.

My last point is very important, probably the biggest thing that stood out to me. He is very, very patient. He never makes the first move ever. This bodes well for most situations when it’s, say, and odd man rush, a breakaway, or a penalty kill, but it could backfire on him in the NHL. The main thing that worries me is that he will take a long time to adjust to the speed of the NHL. Sure, he plays with men right now, so it’s not like some kid coming out of junior, but there still is that period of adjustment. If he’s overly patient in the NHL, he could be caught watching plays happen around him, and become very ineffective.

He may never adjust to the NHL, and that worries me. The raw talent, and sheer size is there. If he’ll be as effective in the NHL remains to be seen. Any team that takes him is taking a gamble, of course, but he has a very high ceiling. I’m talking Roberto Luongo, Henrik Lundqvist kind of ceiling. Only time will tell, though. I just can’t wait to see what he can do against NHL shooters, and I’m eager to watch him play.

Tags: avalanche, goaltending, jonas gustavsson, Leafs, scouting report, sharks, stars