Lukas Gustafsson is a two-way defender who locks down his own zone and can contribute offensively from time-to-time. His skating ability and puck control allow him to succeed in the transition game, carrying the puck up and down the ice creating controlled zone exits and entries for his team. He likes to be involved in the play, and frequently plays a mistake-free brand of hockey. He’s surprisingly shifty, using head fakes and shoulder dips to avoid defenders when he has the puck on his stick. A patient player, he doesn’t seem to be rattled when the opposing players close in on him. He consistently makes smart plays under pressure and rarely makes an untimely turnover. On the defensive end he keeps everything in front of him, allowing him to consistently see the play and jump in and break up plays in his own zone. The downside in his game is that there’s not one area that he is elite in. He would be considered a safe pick in the mid-to-late rounds of the draft. He has a high floor but low ceiling and would make a serviceable player at the NHL level. He can play anywhere in a team’s bottom-four defense, playing quality minutes at even-strength and would likely be a solid option on the penalty kill. He was passed over in his original draft year, and after a solid post-eligible season in the USHL will likely hear his name called this time around. Two-way defenders who can play quality minutes in multiple scenarios are highly sought after and the fact that he was passed over once shouldn’t be held against him. He will take time to get his game up to NHL level speed but there’s little reason to believe that he won’t carve out a nice career in the NHL even if he won’t ever be a spectacular player.

– FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide