The 22-year-old Swedish hockey defenseman played almost 22 minutes, the most of anyone for Minnesota, in his NHL debut (a 6-3 loss to St. Louis).
"It was a lot of fun. I'm glad my family is here and gets to experience it," Gustafsson-Nyberg said in an interview after the game.
I was nervous at first, but then I got into the rhythm.
The big (199 cm/102 kilos) defenseman was raised in Värmdö and Nacka and played for Leksand's junior team before going to the US to play college hockey. Recently, during his third college season, he received a tryout contract with the Minnesota organization and has now signed a two-year contract. He was not drafted.
