Checking in at No. 5 on our draft board is the 6-foot-4 Cayden Lindstrom, a Canadian center that has consistently been hovering around the top five in the draft rankings over the past year, despite missing a significant amount of time with a broken hand. There’s a lot to like about Lindstrom beyond just his frame, as the finishing and skating ability of Lindstrom makes for an interesting prospect.
Pre-draft rankings
No. 11 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 3 by Elite Prospects
No. 5 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. 9 by Daily Faceoff
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Lindstrom is the exact type of guy that hockey men are going to fall in love with, if they haven’t already. He’s the prototypical power forward, but one with the skills to possibly stick at 1C long term. Among those skills, Lindstrom has flashed a plus shot, with a wicked wrister (see below) and a lightning-fast release on his one-timer (2:00 mark).
At the same time as having those abilities to create, Lindstrom is also not afraid to get to the dirty areas of the ice. With his WHL team, the Medicine Hat Tigers, Lindstrom played primarily as the net front presence on the power play, sometimes shifting to a spot along the half-wall for his one-timer. Hockey men will love this aspect of his game, as Lindstrom isn’t afraid to use his frame, actively weaponizing it to cause havoc in front of the goaltender.
In addition to his abilities in front of the goalie, Lindstrom uses every bit of his 6-foot-4 frame to shield the puck from his opponents. His puck protection skills have the potential to be top notch in all three zones, especially as he fully fills out in the future. In the clip below, you can see the physicality with which Lindstrom protects the puck, as he barrels his way to the front of the net off a self-created rush.
Power forwards usually sacrifice some skating abilities for the rugged style of their game, but Lidstrom’s elusive skating is a plus. He’s pretty darn good at skating the puck in on the rush, consistently eluding defenders, shifty on his edges, and surprisingly quick for a guy of his size. There’s some concern with the more upright-stride of Lindstrom, but this is likely a small tweak that a little bit of development will rectify. Combined with his puck protection prowess, his skating is surprisingly strong for his style of play, as seen in the highlight below, where he feeds the 2026 top prospect Gavin McKenna for a goal.
What’s not to like?
More than anything, there’s cause for concern over Lindstrom’s injury history. In 23-24, Lindstrom only played 32 games in the WHL due to a broken hand that sidelined him for three months. Perhaps an even greater concern is the “coinciding back injury” that never was clarified as to what exactly it was or when it happened. It’s likely that Lindstrom is completely fine after months of recovery – but an 18 year old already having some back problems might raise some eyebrows. Add on to that the fact that Lidstrom doesn’t have the longest history of production (36 points in 61 WHL games in 22-23), and there are some question marks.
With his actual game though, one thing that might be fair to question is how likely he is to reach his ceiling. Lindstrom, if everything translates to his pro game, could be that hard-nosed but highly skilled 1C that every team covets. However, if that finishing ability slips, or his somewhat-awkward skating becomes an issue, Lindstrom might not have the game breaking abilities to make up for it. Injuries plus a shorter track record might stray some teams away from Lindstrom, but again, there’s lots to project with this kid.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
Honestly, the best-case scenario of Lindstrom would fit exceptionally well into the Flyers system. He has major strengths in facilitating and finishing chances on the rush, and with the Flyers prioritizing blocking shots and heading the other way, Lindstrom could really thrive in that system. You’d also have to imagine that the front office would love to get their hands on a projectable, physically-imposing center prospect, as Lindstrom has that snarl that feels so Flyers.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Probably not, no. In most mocks, Lindstrom isn’t falling past the Blue Jackets at No. 4 or the Canadiens at No. 5. It’s always possible that guys slip in the leadup to draft day, but there probably aren’t going to be enough teams that pass on a potential 1C of the future for Lindstrom to fall all the way to No. 12. It would be quite the surprise, but stranger things have happened!
What scouts are saying
“Lindstrom is a big center (though his NHL Central Scouting listing dropped him from 6-foot-5 to 6-foot-3.25) and an excellent skater who already uses his size to his advantage, whether through finishing his checks, shielding pucks, powering through contact or going to the net front to provide screens. He’s also got decent-to-very-good skill and quick hands, both in flight and around the net and the wall. He can play off of the puck and take up space in front or jump into space off the rush with his skating, play on the cycle and stay over pucks to help his team maintain possession inside the offensive zone, create in transition — putting defenders on their heels with a head of steam — and even make skill plays from a standstill inside the offensive zone. He’s a strong, powerful skater who can pull away in open ice and win races. He’s also strong in the faceoff circle and competitive overall. He looks like a safely projectable second-line center, which at his height and with his skating would make him a pretty rare player type in the league. There are some who believe he might even have first-line upside as well.” — Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
“Lindstrom is an elite NHL prospect that any NHL club would covet, and the NHL projection does not change due to the fact that he has missed time due to injuries that were not deemed to impair his future career. Central Scouting chose to rank him in the same position because he remains one of the best prospects in this class and we haven’t filed any reports to displace him.” — Dan Marr, NHL Central Scouting
We’ll make one addition to the poll for today. Welcome Konsta Helenius! A crafty center already playing against men in Liiga.
Helenius put together one of the most productive under-18 seasons in Liiga history this year, entering into similar territory as names like Patrik Laine, Kaapo Kakko and Mikael Granlund without quite chasing down record holder Aleksander Barkov. He averaged 17 minutes a night, occasionally hit 19 and 20, and stuck at center despite being a 5-foot-11 17-year-old who won’t turn 18 until May. This, after impressing at world under-17s (where he capped off an 11-in-seven tournament with a four-point performance in the bronze medal game) and U18 worlds (where I thought he really drove the bus on an otherwise disappointing team). This, after playing 33 Liiga games (where he was the league’s youngest player and still registered 11 points) as a 16-year-old last season. This, after impressing at the World Junior Summer Showcase last summer months after his 17th birthday and still as the youngest player invited. This, after centering a top-six line as an underager at the world juniors (where he wasn’t a star but I thought played better than his two points in seven games indicated). — Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Previously on the draft board:
- Macklin Celebrini
- Ivan Demidov
- Artyom Levshunov
- Anton Silayev
- Cayden Lindstrom
- ????
