First Round Targets: Linus Lindstrom
By Nick Seguin
7 years agoLinus Lindstrom sounds like just the kind of name you’d see on the back of a Red Wings jersey. Having spent his entire career thus far playing in the Swedish league for Skelleftea Jr., this six-foot centreman has been a pretty consistent point-getter in his home country league and at the international level.
NHL CS RANKING
Projected to go 10th overall of European skaters.
THE STATS
Like I said, he’s a pretty consistent point-getter. The big watch out here is that Lindstrom has only played four games at the pro level and netted one goal. That being said, he was producing at a 1.1 PPG rate in his latest season in the SuperElit league and put up 4 points in 7 games at this year’s World Junior Championship. While we likely won’t see him in an NHL game next season, whichever team he ends up on will surely ensure he continues to develop at the pro level. He is ready to make that jump.
THE EYE TEST
“A two-way player with smarts who takes care of details on the ice, Lindstrom has been one of the top scorers in Sweden’s under-20 Super Elite circuit with 20 points through 15 games. He needs to get stronger, but moves the puck well and is very good defensively.”
DOES HE FIT IN WITH THE RED WINGS?
He is Swedish and his name is one letter off from being “Lidstrom”. Of course he fits in with the Red Wings!
In all seriousness, though, Detroit could use a good puck moving forward to feed the speed of guys like Dylan Larkin and Andreas Athanasiou. Especially if he can get back and help out our average-at-best defensemen. That being said, adjusting to the North American game is no easy task so if Detroit does land him, he’ll likely end up spending a few years in Grand Rapids, developing, like all of the players that were drafted before him.
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