Jan 25, 2023; Langley, BC, CANADA; CHL Top Prospects team white forward Kalan Lind (13) skates during the third period in the 2023 CHL Top Prospects ice hockey game at Langley Events Centre.
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Oct 30, 2023/vol. 77, issue 05
Prospects Unlimited
NASHVILLE PREDATORS
BY TONY FERRARI
SOMETIMES, A player is drafted by a team, and the stylistic fit is near perfection. Nashville – a.k.a. Smashville – adding the belligerent force that is Kalan Lind at the draft was exactly that.
Although Lind hasn’t filled out his frame yet, coming in at 6-foot-2 and less than 160 pounds, he plays the game like he was 50 pounds heavier. The 18-year-old left winger is a heat-seeking missile who plays the hardworking and heavy game that defined Nashville in the early years of Barry Trotz’s coaching career – and that’s especially fitting now that Trotz has returned and taken over as GM.
“It’s a great fit with a great team,” Lind said. “I love that my playing style is going to be embraced. It fits the culture here in Nashville. I’ve been to a few games here, even a playoff game, and it’s the exact kind of environment I want to play in.”
Lind’s awareness that he needs to add strength to keep playing his preferred style is encouraging. After all, having a good defensive mind and a high-end motor can only get you so far in winning puck battles at the NHL level. Lind needs to add refined passing and develop more of a shot from distance, as most of his production comes from wreaking havoc around the net.
“It’s not a secret I’m a bit undersized for the way I play,” Lind said. “That was my big focus this summer and going into this season. Get bigger, get faster, get stronger. That will let me play the game I want to play at an even higher level.”
The selection of Lind this summer – in the second round (46th overall) – has the potential to turn into a win for the franchise, as his raw talent is enticing. Lind is a raw player, a ball of clay waiting to be molded into a power forward who can impact the game at both ends of the ice. The Predators’ organization is the perfect place for him to hone his craft.
Lind is six-and-a-half years younger than brother Kole, a prospect in the Seattle system. Kalan plays a relentless physical style, laying the body on any opponent who comes into his vicinity with the puck. Lind is trying to put the ‘Smash’ in Smashville, and it’s a good bet Predators fans are going to love him for it.