Jets’ prospect David Gustafsson named assistant captain of AHL’s Moose

Though this season may already be 18 games old for the Manitoba Moose, they’ve decided to announce which skaters will serve as their team captains in 2021-22. For the Winnipeg Jets, one of their highly-touted prospects has been chosen for this honour, forward @David Gustafsson.

Releasing an official announcement Thursday afternoon, the Moose revealed Jimmy Oligny as their captain, with Gustafsson, 21, and Cole Maier acting as assistant captains.

Operating in his third campaign with the Moose, Gustafsson had already assumed a prominent leadership role even before this announcement, but now, his presence – that’s been showcased on and off the ice previously – is expected to grow even further moving forward.

While he’s known for his impressive defensive talents, especially in the face-off circle, the 6’2″ centre discovered another aspect of his craft – an offensive one – last season, where he posted seven goals and 19 points in just 22 games. This time around, the left-hander has picked up exactly where he left off and has continued performing as a reliable scoring threat.

Through 18 games in 2021-22, Gustafsson is currently tied with teammate @Cole Perfetti for the team lead in points (14), and is also tied for the second-most goals (five) as well, according to AHL.com. Adding to his stellar resume, three of those five markers have occurred on the power play, which is a career-high.

Among other factors, the Swedish native’s red-hot start has been crucial in helping the Moose enjoy plenty of success early on, placing them second in the Central Division with an 11-6-1 record.

If these promising results continue the rest of the way, Gustafsson should only improve his chances of receiving a promotion to the big club at some point this season, whenever that may be, where he’s compiled 26 career games.

The Jets will be aiming to put an end to their losing ways when they hit the ice against the New Jersey Devils on Friday, which will begin at 7:00 pm CT.

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