With the 84th overall selection in the 2026 NHL Draft, the Edmonton Oilers have selected Malcom Gastrin out of Sweden. He is the younger brother of Milton Gastrin, who the Washington Capitals drafted. Gastrin has played out his hockey career in his home country of Sweden. He is coming off a solid point-per-game season, using his playmaking skills to his advantage.
Who is Gastrin?
Gastrin is a six-foot-tall playmaking winger. One of his most significant skills is making quick plays off the wall and around the slot. He can find his teammates with slick passes from the half-wall. Meanwhile, Gastrin can make his way to the net and is always threatening to bury rebounds and deflections. Gastrin is not a huge name out of the draft, as his physical play definitely needs some work moving forward.
| Team | League | GP | G | A | PTS | |
| 2023-24 | MoDo Hockey U16 | U16 Region | 21 | 25 | 22 | 47 |
| 2024-25 | MoDo Hockey J18 | J18 Region | 22 | 10 | 15 | 25 |
| 2025-26 | MoDo Hockey U20 | U20 Nationell | 24 | 9 | 16 | 25 |
Analyzing the pick
The pick makes sense for the Oilers as they do not necessarily have an abundance of good forward prospects. It will take Gastrin a while to polish up his game before he can make a serious impact, but hopefully, he can grow into something. The holes found in Gastrin’s game make it tough to determine whether or not this is a strong pick, but time will tell. Hopefully, some of his offensive skills will help him make an impact down the road, especially considering that he is one of the younger picks in the draft.
What is next for Gastrin?
Gastrin is a long-term project as an NHL prospect. The winger will return to Sweden next season to continue his development.
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