Gustav Forsling is 2024’s recipient of the Guldpucken, awarded by the Swedish Ice Hockey Association to the top Swedish player of the year, regardless of whether they’re playing at home or abroad. The 28-year-old Panthers defenseman led the NHL with a +56 rating and finished ninth in Norris Trophy voting last season.
The award was expanded to include Swedish nationals playing in the NHL in 2015. It’s been awarded by the Swedish governing body and voted on by writers for the Swedish newspaper Expressen since 1956 but was previously only handed out to Swedish Hockey League players.
Forsling is the second defenseman in a row to win the honor after former Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson won it for the third time in 2023. The award has been exclusively given to NHL players since they became eligible. Others to win in the past nine years include Victor Hedman (twice), William Karlsson, Gabriel Landeskog and Robin Lehner.
The Linkoping native has emerged as one of the NHL’s premier two-way threats over the last few seasons, leading Panthers defensemen in points last year with 39 (10 G, 29 A) in 79 games. Forsling, Hedman and Erik Karlsson were the first three defensemen named to Sweden’s roster for next year’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
There’s more from the Panthers today:
- Forward prospect Mackie Samoskevich has changed his representation as he enters the final season of his entry-level contract, joining Brian and Scott Bartlett of Barlett Hockey, per the agency (X link). He was previously represented by Pat Brisson of CAA Sports. The 21-year-old was a first-round pick of Florida in 2021 and made his NHL debut last season, going without a point and posting a -3 rating in seven games. 2023-24 was his first full professional campaign after a pair of seasons at the University of Michigan. On the farm with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, he led the team in scoring with 54 points (22 G, 32 A) in 62 games. He’s a strong candidate to open the season with the cap-strapped Panthers, potentially in a top-nine role.
- The Panthers are one of the many teams parting ways with the Bally Sports family of regional sports networks, previously announcing they’ll have their games locally produced and distributed on various local stations by Scripps Sports for 2024-25. But for non-TV watchers, the team announced today a “strategic multi-year alliance” with ViewLift to offer a direct-to-consumer streaming platform. ViewLift also runs similar DTC streaming services for the Capitals and Golden Knights.
The Gus Bus keeps on rolling