With the 4th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Columbus Blue Jackets have selected Cayden Lindstrom from the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL).
About Cayden Lindstrom
If you were to build a perfect top-10 pick at the NHL Entry Draft, you might end up developing Cayden Lindstrom and his 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame. Lindstrom has every intangible that NHL general managers spend their careers trying to find. He’s a big, smart, fast, and skilled centerman who has a toolkit that’s easy to project to the professional levels of hockey.
On the ice, Lindstrom can be an absolute menace as he can burn you in so many different ways. Sure, he could just bully opposing players out of the way using his size, but he also has the speed to outskate defensemen and the scoring toolkit to post 27 goals and 46 points in 32 games played for Medine Hat this season.
Injuries are really the only concern for Lindstrom and his pathway forward into the NHL. If he could have played a full season in the WHL, he might have been able to push himself even higher on draft day. As it stands now, he’s still an easy pick for any team to make.
THW Prospect Profile Excerpt
Coming in at a towering 6-foot-3, 210 pounds, Lindstrom is an absolute force when he’s on the ice, displaying great strength and offensive awareness. He was on-pace for an impressive draft year production wise, as he had 26 goals and 46 points in 32 games. However, he has been sidelined with an upper body injury that has kept him out for some time, but it’s one that isn’t a concern for scouts as he’s still ranked high.
Lindstrom’s power forward-like game instantly takes over. He constantly shows the competitive nature and drive that makes him excel. Be it establishing a forecheck down low and battling along the boards, he’s constantly involved to win the puck over. Without the puck he has no problem laying the body and making a big open ice hit to show his presence.
Lindstrom utilizes his size to his advantage very well, getting the inside edge on defenders and has the strength to instantly push them off when dealing with sustained pressure and bully his way to the high danger area. His long reach and strong puck control allow him to maintain that space between him and defenders making it difficult to knock the puck off him. Combined that with his smooth skating stride when attacking the middle, he’s a dominant force….
Lindstrom’s vision is also at the forefront as he has the ability to identify his outlets and lanes very easily. He can be deceptive with his movements, fooling defenders moving in one direction and then executes quick cut backs to open things up for himself on the rush. He displays great foot speed and excellent edgework when evading pressure and creating space for himself.
Full player profile can be found here.
How This Affects the Blue Jackets’ Plans
Developing a dominant power forward takes time, but Columbus has time to give to Lindstrom. While they could rush him to the league, it seems more likely that they will give him the time and space to recover from his injuries and develop into his frame.
The potential is there for a top-line centerman who wreaks havoc across the league for the next decade, but that will never happen if injuries limit his potential. The Blue Jackets have to plan for this when they made the selection, which leads me to think Lindstrom may not be part of their plans for a few years, at the very least. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, if he finds his way into their top six after refining his game.
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