Medicine Hat Tigers star Cayden Lindstrom brings size, skill and physicality to the table, and as a natural center, his future worth cannot be overstated ahead of the NHL draft.
Medicine Hat Tigers star Cayden Lindstrom brings size, skill and physicality to the table, and as a natural center, his future worth cannot be overstated ahead of the NHL draft.
SUNRISE, FLA - Four of the top prospects for the 2024 NHL draft are in Florida right now, meeting with the media and taking in the Stanley Cup final.
Macklin Celebrini, Artyom Levshunov, Zeev Buium and Cayden Lindstrom all seem to be pretty good pals already, and they got a chance to meet some of their potential future peers in the NHL.
For Lindstrom, the WHL star from the Medicine Hat Tigers, it's been the best kind of whirlwind less than a month out from the draft itself.
"Meeting Connor McDavid was pretty cool, Evander Kane too," he said. "The whole experience is pretty surreal, and getting to be here is very exciting."
Like the hockey fanatics they are, the teenagers took a special interest in Edmonton's stick rack as they hung out during the Oilers' morning skate.
"We were looking at Leon Draisaitl's stick," Lindstrom said. "Everyone is so curious what the guys use. It was probably the biggest blade I've ever seen, and it's just flat. It's pretty cool. I don't think I would be able to play with it, but obviously he does really well with it."
Lindstrom is one of the top centers available in the draft, and it wouldn't be surprising if he was the second pivot taken after Celebrini goes first overall - he could easily go top-five, and it would be shocking if he wasn't top-10. Though a back issue limited Lindstrom to 32 games (causing him to miss the CHL Top Prospects Game and the World Men's Under-18s), he put up a sensational 27 goals and 46 points in that span. And with a 6-foot-3, 213-pound frame, NHL teams are excited about his upside.
"He checks a lot of boxes, especially with his size," said one scout. "He's a highly skilled center who skates well and has a great shot. He can make plays, and he's an impact player. He can be physical and has a lot of potential to be a top-sixer in the NHL."
Lindstrom interviewed with 19 different teams at the NHL draft combine, and though it may be wishful thinking for a dozen of them, the number speaks to what a valuable player he could be in the future. Comparisons for the youngster have included Jamie Benn and Tom Wilson, while Lindstrom himself cited Quinton Byfield.
"I'm not afraid to fight," he said. "I don't know about (being as tough as) Tom Wilson, but I have a good physical presence in the game, and I play with a lot of skill."
That skill will most likely be back in Medicine Hat next season, where the Tigers have an enviable young core developing. Along with Lindstrom, there's also another potential 2024 first-rounder in Andrew Basha, plus the phenom 2026 draft prospect Gavin McKenna, who helped lead Canada to gold over Team USA at the world under-18s in the spring.
"Yeah, it's exciting," Lindstrom said. "We're still really young and the team has a lot more ahead. We're going to be skilled, fast and really powerful. We're going to have a lot of depth; it'll be good."