Erik Gustafsson

Erik Gustafsson has been a leading figure in Luleå's defence and a mentor to younger defencemenArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceArticle in HockeynewsRead the sourceArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceArticle in SHLRead the sourceClose. Erik GustafssonArticle in Svenska IshockeyförbundetRead the sourceClose grew up in Njurunda outside Sundsvall. The Swedish Ice Hockey Association’sArticle in Svenska IshockeyförbundetRead the sourceClose 2018/19 annual report describes how his older brother Thomas persuaded him to choose hockey over football.

Looking back on his choice of college hockey in America in a 2018 interview with Sveriges RadioArticle in Sveriges RadioRead the sourceClose, Gustafsson explained that he had wanted to leave home and grow as a person.

When he joined Luleå in 2018, he told Sveriges RadioArticle in Sveriges RadioRead the sourceClose that returning to Swedish hockey felt like coming full circle. In the federation’s 2018/19Article in Svenska IshockeyförbundetRead the sourceClose annual report, he also recalled that Luleå had been one of his favourite teams as a boy.

Sveriges RadioArticle in Sveriges RadioRead the sourceClose reported in 2018 that Gustafsson wanted to develop the offensive side of his game in Luleå. When the club introduced him in May that year, Stefan “Skuggan” Nilsson described him as a natural leader and assessed him as strong both offensively and defensivelyArticle in Luleå HockeyRead the sourceClose.