Islanders draft pick Malte Gustafsson has all pieces for quick rise: Skys the limit

Malte Gustafsson hasn’t allowed himself to think about it yet, to envision a future Islanders blue line with him and Matthew Schaefer — both first-round picks, both left-handed, both just 18 years old — in prominent roles.“He’s very, very grounded and humble when it comes to his journey,” recalled Tom Jankovic, his head coach with the HV71 under-20 team and assistant coach with Sweden’s under-18 national team.When Schaefer introduced Gustafsson in Buffalo as the Islanders’ selection at No.13 in last month’s NHL draft, there was something fitting about the duo overlapping.One obvious piece of their future welcomed another one who could possibly — and rapidly — play his way into it.

Gustafsson, who said it’d be amazing to skate with Schaefer, rose quickly through the ranks in Sweden as an indispensable defenseman and plans to play for HV71 again next season.After that, though, the Islanders might have a decision to make with the 6-foot-4, 230-pounder who “came as advertised” to development camp last week, Islanders head coach Pete DeBoer said.“I think he will be a top Swedish defenseman in the NHL someday,” Jankovic told The Post.“If it’s when he’s 24 or when he’s 28, I don’t know, but I think he will be there because he has all the tools.

He has the right mindset.”There’s no rush, either.Gustafsson planned to improve his offensive game and add muscle next season in the Swedish Hockey League.

Niklas Eriksson, his HV71 head coach who took over near the end of last season, said that he can use the larger rinks in Sweden to prepare for the smaller ones in North America.It’ll force Gustafsson to simplify his game and to make first passes quickly, something on which he’ll get to work while likely logging 20-plus minutes a game and filling roles on both the power play and penalty kill.Jankovic thought Gustafsson, a self-described “annoying” defenseman, would get picked earlier in the draft.He can skate alongside both...