2025 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Milton Gastrin

Milton Gastrin is a Swedish forward who has been ranked, on average, in the top 30 players for the 2025 NHL Draft. Hockey is in his blood, as his father played professional hockey in Sweden, and his younger brother is currently playing for the MoDo J18 team. Gastrin has been playing with MoDo Hockey since the 2022-2023 season when he joined their U16 team. This season, he has played at the J18, J20, and SHL levels, as well as representing Sweden U18 on the international stage. He has played a total of 60 games this season across those teams, totaling 63 points. His best performance came with the MoDo J20 team, where he averaged over a point per game (42 points in 40 games). Gastrin shines on the assist, 38 of his points have come from helpers. In this year’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he tallied three goals and seven assists, helping Sweden in their bronze-medal effort.

2024-25 Team: MoDo Hockey J20 (J20 Nationell, Swedish Hockey League)
Date of Birth: Jun 2, 2007
Place of Birth: Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Height: 6-feet-1 Weight: 185 pounds
Shoots: Left
Position: Forward

Awards/Achievements

2024-25: Hlinka Gretzky Cup Bronze Medal
2024-25: Hlinka Gretzky Cup Team Sweden Captain

Scouting Report

Milton Gastrin is a naturally skilled, fast-paced, and responsible two-way center. He has a keen ability to read the play before it happens and create offense around the net by utilizing space and timing effectively. His skating ability is already strong, and will continue to improve as he grows and develops physically. As previously stated, he is a playmaker, often finding open linemates in good scoring positions to set them up for successful play. He skates fast and accelerates quickly–his ability to utilize these skills to recover loose pucks stands out. His biggest area of weakness is a lack of creativity with the puck; however, his reliable and consistent play are highly valued traits that an NHL team will find beneficial to bolster their middle-six.

The forward’s strengths lie in his vision, playmaking, and reliability. What really makes him stand out among forwards, though, is his defensive ability. Neutral Zone notes that Gastrin “consistently excels in defensive situations, showing positional awareness and a commitment to positively impacting the game even if he does not end up on the score sheet.” Scott Wheeler of the Athletic adds that he offers a “responsible and heady game” who “seems to really understand timing and spacing.” He is not overly physical in his defensive efforts, but rather uses his body and frame to battle for and shield the puck and create space. Developing his size and physicality, as well as adding power behind his shot, will only benefit his game and make him a more elite forward.

If Milton Gastrin can continue to show up reliably, stand out defensively, and read the puck intelligently, he will find himself a critical part of a team looking for a strong, consistent two-way forward. He will be beneficial to anyone looking to develop their special teams and create a leader down the road as he enters his veteran years.