Here are my scouting notes on his performance on November 25th 2020 for anyone interested.
Summary : Malatesta is a fiery and aggressive attacker, who, despite his size, plays like a power forward, actively getting involved on the forecheck and pressuring opponents with a physical edge. The left winger exhibited his relentless motor on the puck pursuit, as he frequently led the forecheck with his sprightly feet and passionate checks. The Canadian prospect possesses a very strong upper-body, allowing him to shake even the most solid rearguard. Malatesta didn’t recover as many pucks in corners as I would have hoped to see, but his animated puck pursuit did pressure and force quick decisions on defensemens, causing a few mistakes throughout the game. His competitive nature also applied to the defensive end, where he displayed quick changes of positioning to cover an open threat or simply put the extra effort to close out on the backcheck. Flashing his dynamic, springy stride, thanks to a quick transition from his outside to inside edge, Malatesta created a majority of his attacks on transitional offense. Mixing-in quick, fluid hands and an excellent balance, the 5 foot 9 attacker can be a tough assignment on rush defence, being able to beat anyone on both the outside, and inside lane. His aggressivity opened a lot of opportunities to connect with his teammates, but his lack of touch as a playmaker minimized his offensive impact. Malatesta could also get caught playing with his head down, forcing him to guess his teammates positioning as he rushed his decision-making. The 2021 NHL Draft eligible owns some very interesting assets through his skating, competitiveness, puck skills and physical presence, but his inability to control his own pace, use teammates as anchors and play to his cerebral potential might refrain his ceiling. I could see him becoming a forecheking/agitator type of player at the NHL level. His combination of intensity, quick feet and combativity mixes well as a role player on a bottom 6 at the next level.