We hear teams say it all the time after they make a pick: “We can’t believe he was still available”. In the case of Malatesta, that seems really true after the Jackets nabbed him with pick #133 in the draft. He was ranked much higher universally – some services had him as high as the early second round – but he fell to the Jackets in the 5th round.
Part of this is probably due to his size. But even at 5’9″, Malatesta is a sturdy player, weighing 190 pounds – and he uses his strength well to finish off opponents with big hits on the forecheck.