MINNESOTA WILD SIGNS GOALTENDER JOHAN GUSTAFSSON TO ENTRY-LEVEL CONTRACT

Press Release

SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed goaltender Johan Gustafsson (pronounced YOH-han GUHS-tahf-suhn) to an entry-level contract.

Gustafsson, 20 (2/28/92), posted a 1.68 goals against average (GAA) and a .932 save percentage (SV%) in 29 games to help lead Lulea HF to the best regular season record in Sweden’s Elite League this season. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound native of Koping, Sweden, ranked second in the League in GAA and fifth in SV%. Gustafsson backstopped Sweden to the gold medal at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship going 5-0-0 with a 2.20 GAA and a .888 SV%.

In 2010-11 he played for VIK Vasteras HK. In seven games with the junior team he posted a 2.83 GAA and one shutout and in 28 games with the Division 2 team he notched two shutouts and a 2.35 GAA. Gustafsson played with three teams in 2009-10 including three matches with Farjestads BK Karlstad in Sweden’s Elite League. He also appeared in four games at the 2010 IIHF U18 Championship going 3-1 with a 2.02 GAA and a .918 SV% as Sweden lost to the United States in the gold medal game.

Gustafsson was originally selected by Minnesota in the sixth round (159th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He is the fifth player from the Wild’s 2010 draft class that has signed an entry-level contract (Brett Bulmer, Mikael Granlund, Johan Larsson and Jason Zucker).

(Nathan can be reached at fourniern@students.nescom.edu)