Theo Lindstein turned negative into positive, propelled himself to strong year

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. -- It was just one month prior to the World Junior Championship when Sweden's national team was competing in Czechia, and Theo Lindstein was part of it.

Things were going well for the St. Louis Blues first round pick (29th overall) in 2023 that he didn't think twice about what was initially going to happen.

And with the forthcoming World Junior Championship happening on Sweden soil, Lindstein was looking forward to it as much as any competition the then 18-year-old had participated in.

But when Lindstein was initially left off Sweden's roster, he was somewhat perturbed.

"A little bit of course," Lindstein said Tuesday at Blues development camp. "I was with the team in November and played well. I had a great feeling when the roster came out, but it is what it is. I wanted to be there (initially) and I was sad about that, but maybe I take that like a little bit of motivation."

Fortunately for Lindstein, he could at the time focus on his game with Brynäs IF of HockeyAllsvenskan.

"We had games back home in Brynäs the day after I got the call that I wasn't going to make it," Lindstein recalled. "So I was focusing on that game. I couldn't think about that much more. Just focus on Brynas back home and keep playing good there and just show that I should have been on the team from the beginning."

Then came an early Christmas gift in the form of an injury to Jakob Noren, and Lindstein was called up to replace him, ad the rest was history, to say the least.

The Swede's didn't win, finishing with the silver after losing 6-2 against USA and fellow prospect Jimmy Snuggerud, but if there was a coming-out party, Lindstein's name was in the ring. He led all defensemen with eight points (two goals, six assists) in seven games.

"I didn't have any expectations coming in like that, two days before the tournament started, but it was just fun to be there and be with the team, to play in the World Juniors, home ice in Gothenburg was a dream-come-true for sure," Lindstein said. "I had no expectations coming in there, but one guy got a match penalty the first game, I came in right away and played pretty good and I just kept playing that way and did my best. And the points came in also so that's always fun. It was a great tournament for me and a little bit sad we lost the final. But it is what it is.

"Yeah, I had no experience at all. I just came in, do what I can do, play my game and I played well. I had no expectations. I had nothing to lose. It was good."

Lindstein got to play with friend and fellow Blues 2023 first-round pick (25th overall) Otto Stenberg, who also said Lindstein played with a nothing-to-lose mindset.

"He just came in and played his game and I think he did it really well," Stenberg said. "It was really fun to see how good he really was. He played really well the whole tournament. It was great to see from not being on the team and joined the team on Christmas Eve. He just went out and played really good."

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Things translated over into a solid season for him for his club, elevating Brynäs to the top division in the Swedish Hockey League after winning the HockeyAllsvenskan title series against Djurgårdens IF; he had 15 points (four goals, 11 assists) in 49 regular-season games with a plus-13, and a goal and three assists in 13 postseason games with a plus-4.

"Yeah it was a great year," Lindstein said. "It was a great year to play and develop my game and get the chance also to come into (World) Juniors too and play that tournament and came back and had a strong season, a great playoff with my team at home. It was fun. We also won the finals. We moved up to the SHL and that was really cool and really fun and a really good experience for me."

Lindstein, 19, has spent the past two years playing against grown men, and perhaps it's why he was able to come into his second development camp and things just looked so dumbed down for him. He moved around the ice with such poise with the puck, never looking overwhelmed by the moment and catching the eye of management and all involved in the developmental process.

"Yes. I think his coming out party was obviously last year's World Junior and was a big part of his team going from the second league to the first league in Sweden," Blues general manager Doug Armstrong said. "It looks like a strong draft a year ago. It really does. I'm not just saying that to be self-serving for our scouts, but you look at Otto, Theo and [Dalibor] Dvorsky, it looks like the guys have done a nice job. You have to go back, it's a stretch, but you look at [Zack] Bolduc, you add a left winger, a centerman, a right winger in 'Snuggy,' a right D in [Adam] Jiricek and a left D in Theo, you see a vision of guys that can play together for the better part of eight or nine years in a few years."

Lindstein, at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds, has grown since last year's development camp, something he strived for realizing to be an effective NHL skater, size will be of essence. And he has a leg up on the majority of Blues prospects in the fact he's been playing in a man's league for two years.

"You need to be a little bit smarter and everyone is smarter, bigger, stronger, so you need to be smart out there," Lindstein said. "I think for me, it was good for me to get a year in the second league to be a more important player for my team and to take a bigger step also. Focus on those things, like without the puck, develop my play without the puck, play more defensive and use your body more and play more gritty. It was a great experience and a great year for me. I'm looking forward for next year.

"Of course I'm one year older, I think I've developed my game and as a person. I got a little bit stronger, bigger. I've build a couple kilos in my body too. It helps you to play better without the puck out there and to be strong in the defensive zone. I think that's the big difference. I know that I can play with the puck offensive-wise and I'm a smart player. I think those are the biggest differences.

"I think (poise with the puck) comes natural. You need to trust yourself and just go out and have fun out there and play as good as you can. That's what I try. It was fun to play here."

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Blues assistant GM Tim Taylor feels that competition in Sweden against grown men has been beneficial for Lindstein.

"I think so, yeah. We do like the CHL and U.S. colleges here," Taylor said. "You're playing against kids your own age, but when you're playing in a men's league, and only certain players can adapt to that pretty quickly like he did last year, but the growth is faster when you do that. I think with these kids, you have to make sure they can handle that, not just physically, but mentally. They're playing against men. Those guys that they're playing against have careers, they have children, they have families, so there's a lot that goes into that and he's adapted, so it's been a good situation for him.

"I didn't know much about Theo. I saw him last year at development camp and I went over to the World Junior this year and he was a standout for Team Sweden. Just trying to get a little bigger, trying to get stronger, just trying to get his feet under him. He makes good plays, he's solid. He's one of those guys you don't notice a whole bunch because he's not going to flash-and-dash but he makes good plays all over the ice. The World Juniors, when you're playing against your peers, the best in the world at that time, he stood out, so I'm really excited about his year coming up. He's going to play in the Swedish Elite League again, he'll get more minutes and for his growth and development playing against men, it's going to be huge for him."

Lindstein is back home in Sweden for a couple weeks getting in some vacation time before joining Sweden at the end of the month at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Mich.

"I'll do some practices and get some work back home for two weeks and then go back to the U.S. and have a great tournament with the national team and meet all those guys again," Lindstein said. "It's going to be fun."

And taking that next grade up and playing in the top division with Brynäs should be a challenge, and hopefully for him, a springboard when he will have a good idea of when to make the jump to North America.

"That's the plan. We'll see. I'll talk with everyone here, but the plan is to stay in Sweden," Lindstein said. "We'll see. Take this year first and see how it goes and how it feels for me and for St. Louis and we'll make a decision after the year."