Lindstrom drawing comparisons to Lindros ahead of 2024 NHL Draft

The 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft will be held June 28-29 at Sphere in Las Vegas. The first round will be June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, ESPN+, SN, TVAS) and rounds 2-7 are June 29 (11:30 a.m. ET; ESPN+, NHLN, SN, SN1). NHL.com is counting down to the draft with in-depth profiles on top prospects, podcasts and other features. Today, a look at center Cayden Lindstrom of Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League. NHL.com's full draft coverage can be found here.

Cayden Lindstrom possesses a rare quality making him unique not only among skaters in the 2024 Upper Deck NHL Draft, but any draft.

The 18-year-old is a powerhouse center with a mean streak, something uncommon in today's draft-eligible players.

"He's one of the best power forwards coming into a draft class that we've seen in a number of years," NHL Central Scouting director Dan Marr said.

It's easy to see why Lindstrom (6-foot-3, 213 pounds) remains a top-10 option in the 2024 draft despite missing 36 regular-season games for Medicine Hat of the Western Hockey League because of an injury while recovering from a back injury. He has been No. 3 on NHL Central Scouting's ranking of North American skaters all season.

Lindstrom had 46 points (27 goals, 19 assists), nine power-play goals and 66 penalty minutes in 32 games prior to the back and hand injuries that ended his regular season. His average of 1.44 points per game was the highest by a draft-eligible skater from Medicine Hat in 22 years (Joffrey Lupul, 1.47 in 2001-02).

At the time of the injuries, Lindstrom was on a 12-game point streak (21 points; 13 goals, eight assists). He ranked fourth in the WHL with an average of 0.84 goals per game.

He was on pace to score 57 goals had he played all 68 games this season, and despite the lost time he won the Canadian Hockey League's Top Draft Prospect Award on June 1. Lindstrom found the back of the net in nearly 60 percent of his games (19 of 32) this season, which included eight multigoal games.

"I think from a young age I was always the bigger kid," Lindstrom said. "When I was 14, I put on some muscle and that's when I knew I was going to be a power forward and wanted to add some skill to my game as well, so I worked on my game to get that skill level."

Does he think he would have given Boston University center Macklin Celebrini a run for his money as the top forward in the 2024 NHL Draft if he had been healthy this season?

"Yes I do," he said. "Obviously I couldn't play the whole second half, but I think I could definitely be up there. It would have been nice to try and score 60 goals, but obviously that didn't work out too well."

Lindstrom returned to the lineup March 29 and had two points (one goal, one assist) and 17 shots on goal in four WHL playoff games; Medicine Hat lost in five games in the first round to Red Deer. Medicine Hat coach Willie Desjardins decided to sit Lindstrom in Game 3 because of body soreness and a lack of practice time.

"He's such a unique player in this draft just because his size, speed and skill are elite for a player this age," said NHL Central Scouting's John Williams. "His first two steps are as good as anybody's and, had he been healthy, was on pace for like 60 goals. On top of that, he brings a physical package to go with everything else and he's got a bit of a mean streak in him ... he pushes back. He does all those things, so he just brings a lot of different elements that you want to have on a team."

Particularly during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

"I for sure want to use my speed and size to an advantage and use it in every situation I can," Lindstrom said.

Lindstrom said he learned at a young age that playing a power game was going to be his calling, but he wants NHL scouts and general managers to know he has other assets to offer.

"I want to prove that I'm more than just a big, fast, power forward," he said. "I want to prove that I have good hockey sense, good hockey IQ, and that I can make good offensive plays and great passing plays as well.

"But from a young age I was always a bigger kid. I was always quick, fast and agile. I've always been that power forward but also have that skill side as well, so I think it all just kind of arranged together."

He developed his game as a pre-teen at Delta Hockey Academy in Delta, British Columbia, about 700 miles south of his hometown of Chetwynd, British Columbia. There he focused on practice, skill development, muscle training and film study. Growing up, he excelled as a shortstop and second baseman in baseball, and in track and field, running a 4.38-second 40-meter dash last summer.

"I think Delta was really good for me," he said, "because it gave me the opportunity to really get my strength up because I was a bit on the thin side coming to the academy when I was 15.

"It really helped build a lot of strength and helped me add muscle, get faster and boost my competitiveness. Seeing all the really good talent there was great as well."

Cayden and his three younger sisters were raised by Trisha, a single mom who is a medical student on track to become a registered nurse. He also is very close to his grandparents.

"My mom's not the biggest hockey fan, but when I'm playing she's definitely watching," Lindstrom said. "Obviously having to raise four kids as a single parent ... she had to do a lot. She's always driven me to a different town just for practice, even in a blizzard, even if she had work the next morning. She took a lot of risks for me, which is something I really appreciated.

"Her core values have always been family first ... let family motivate you and treat people how you want to be treated. I've seen her every day trying to provide for all of us, so I think most of my motivation comes from just watching her."

Lindstrom said he enjoys watching Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, Los Angeles Kings forward Adrian Kempe and Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz.

"I think I play pretty similar to Hintz; we're both skilled power forwards who create a lot off the rush in the offensive zone," Lindstrom said. "I like watching how Matthews shoots and his offensive ability. I just try and take things from their games and add it to my book."

Desjardins, who coached six seasons in the NHL with the Stars, Vancouver Canucks and Kings, said the closest comparable he sees to Lindstrom is Hockey Hall of Fame forward Eric Lindros.

"Cayden has lots of great strengths; he's a dominant physical guy, has some toughness in him, has some meanness in his game, he can really shoot a puck and passes like a pro," Desjardins said. "He can play physical against the bigger guys ... I honestly think the guy closest to him is Lindros from way back. A big-bodied guy who plays hard, can put up points. That's going way back but he does have that power, he does have that ability to kind of explode."

Lindstrom looks to become only the second player born in Chetwynd to play in the NHL. Forward Dody Wood, who played with the San Jose Sharks from 1993-97, is the other.

He intends to improve his skating this summer under the supervision of skating coach Barb Aidelbaum in Vancouver and continue to build his body.

"I think [Aidelbaum] will really help my situation in getting to 100 percent," he said. "I'll work on a lot of mobility stuff and continue working out the right way to make sure I'm healthy."