2024 NHL Draft prospect: Cayden Lindstrom offers skill and size

Outside of Ivan Demidov, the name that has been on the lips of Montreal Canadiens fans for months at this point has been Cayden Lindstrom. Since the Habs were locked into the fifth overall pick, he has been firmly in the crosshairs of fans due to his intriguing blend of size and skill while playing for Medicine Hat in the WHL. While a back injury kept Lindstrom out of the lineup for a large chunk of this season, experts and fans were blown away by what they have seen, and it’s done little to quell the hype amongst Montreal supporters

Birthplace: Chetwynd, British ColumbiaDate of birth: February 3, 2006Shoots: LeftPosition: CentreHeight: 6’3″Weight: 214lbsTeam: Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL)

Lindstrom announced his arrival to the WHL last year, with a rookie effort of 42 points in 61 games for a Medicine Hat team that sat at around .500 all season in the WHL’s Central Division. It was a good base for Lindstrom as he and fellow draft-eligible forward Andrew Basha finished top four on the team in scoring that year.

This year saw him topple his previous career-best in points and goals in half the time as the Tigers found themselves moving up the standings in a big way. Despite being limited to just 32 games, Lindstrom posted a fantastic 27 goals and 19 assists to go along with 66 penalty minutes. Despite missing around half of the season with his injury, he was among the best in the WHL when he was on the ice. A whirling dervish of physically menacing play, outstanding skill, and a surprising dash of speed makes Lindstrom a potentially special power forward in this draft class.

Some folks in the scouting world have referred to Lindstrom as a “unicorn” in this year’s draft. He combines fearsome size and a willingness to use that frame at every opportunity, along with incredible offensive skill. There isn’t much missing out of Lindstrom’s toolkit. He loves to use his skating and size to power toward the inside parts of the offensive zone, shedding opponents relatively easily with his size in order to get better looks on goal.

It’s not just driving to the net that makes him a nightmare to defend. He leverages his size along the boards to win battles and tilt possession. Of course, with that frame and mindset, he fulfills the ‘power’ portion of power forward with devastating hits and a willingness to muck it up as well.

There is much more to Lindstrom than just his size and tenacity. He possesses one of the best shots in his class. He’s happy to bulldoze toward the net and beat goalies in close with his quick hands or by battling for rebounds. But he can also put some serious velocity on his shots, allowing him to routinely beat goaltenders from distance, making him even harder to defend against in the offensive zone. Being able to diversify his skill set makes him a truly special player when everything has come together.

There are very few perfect players in the world of hockey. and even Lindstrom is not one of them. He has a few wrinkles to his game that could use smoothing out, but they are far from being any sort of deal-breaker in terms of his draft stock. While not an ineffective playmaker, it’s an area where he doesn’t exactly shine compared to the rest of his game. He’ll tend to overhandle the puck in certain situations, allowing potential windows to close or missing out on open teammates.

All of that goes hand in hand with his hockey sense being the biggest area that needs to improve going forward. He can already win many of his battles through just sheer force and size, but heading up the ladder to the next level is going to require him to use different tools. He also needs to improve on picking his spots, as he tends to take some poorly timed penalties, which would hurt his team in the playoffs.

There is also the concern about his back, with a herniated disc keeping him out of action for almost the entire second half of the season. While he’s been recovering and looks primed to go, a back injury is not one that heals quickly and tends to linger in little ways. That being said, a team making him their top pick in the draft is absolutely aware of this, and should have a plan in place to help keep his recovery moving forward.

Dobber Prospects: #3Elite Prospects:#3Hockey Prospect: #2McKeen’s: #4Bob McKenzie: #5FC Hockey: #8NHL Central Scouting: #3 (North American skaters)Corey Pronman: #10Scott Wheeler: #11

Lindstrom would be a franchise-altering player if he continues on his rapid, upward trajectory. While the back injury definitely slowed that rise, it’s very clear that he brings a talent that is hard to replicate these days. He’s a hard-checking power forward with very good skating, and an even better shot that makes him a terror for opposing teams.

There’s a reason why he is very likely to be gone inside the first five picks, whether it be the Montreal Canadiens snagging him, or potentially, Columbus one pick earlier, which could pair him behind Adam Fantilli. After seeing the stunning rise of Juraj Slafkovský last season, adding another highly skilled power forward to the organization is beyond tantalizing.