NY Islanders GM Mathieu Darche responds to new draft pick's lofty player comparison

When Malte Gustafsson was asked after being selected by the Islanders on Friday night which NHL defenseman he models his game after, the 17-year-old didn't reach for an obscure comparison.

He went to a two-time Stanley Cup champion, a Norris Trophy winner and a player that New York Islanders GM Mathieu Darche is very familiar with and that was Victor Hedman.

"I'd say I'm pretty similar to Victor Hedman," the defenseman said, which felt more about drawing inspiration than meeting the same standard of excellence.

That comparison eventually made its way back to Islanders general manager Mathieu Darche, who was asked after the first round what he thought about Gustafsson comparing himself to the future Hall of Fame defenseman and longtime Tampa Bay Lightning star.

"Victor, listen, it's a high goal. I'd love for him to be Victor Hedman," Darche said with a smile during his media availability after the first round.

Still, Darche explained there are aspects of Gustafsson's game that make the comparison understandable. "Victor is not the guy that will wow you by skating a puck on the ice like Schaefer does," Darche said. "You know, the speed, but he's just an effective skater that's smart hockey. Actually his hockey sense is one of his strong suits also."

That combination of size, skating and intelligence is exactly why the Islanders made Gustafsson the 13th overall pick.

"It's tough to find," Darche said. "A lot of winning teams have big defensemen too. I mean, yeah, you can have some smaller defensemen, but overall, a big defenseman that can skate."

Gustafsson already measures in at 6-foot-4½ and over 200 pounds, but Darche thinks the young Swede may still have more growing to do.

"A lot of times the kids after you draft them, some of them grow an inch because they're still young," Darche said. "Let's call it a 6-foot-5 defenseman. He's got to put a bit of weight on. He's still young and might come in eventually at 215, 220, 225."

No one in the Islanders organization is expecting Malte Gustafsson to become the next Victor Hedman, but some of the attributes and characteristics should be within reach.

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