LD Mats Lindgren - Kamloops Blazers WHL (2022, 106th, BUF)

[Juniorhockeyguru]

Was taken 7th overall in the Bantam Draft after committing to Michigan before recently signed by the Blazers the other day. Teams were concerned about him going the NCAA route, so I think he would of been a top 5 pick otherwise.

Anyone else have any thoughts about this kid?

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[landy92mack29]

His father was a 1st round pick by the Jets and played a couple 100 nhl games. IMO he's the 3rd best player from the 04's. Probably would've went 7th anyway without the college commit as I doubt he'd want to report to either PG or Brandon but you never know. Amazing skater with both his speed and edges, moves the puck well and will rush it up ice with confidence, solid in his own end but does go wondering out of position from time to time but will engage even though he's not that big yet(Dad is big so growth should come), as with his current size he needs to get a lot stronger as he can get pushed around a bit and doesn't have an overly strong shot. Very promising talent who was a great get by Kamloops to build onto their young core.

 

[landy92mack29]

 

[Eye of Ra]

Another swede taken by north americans.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

Another swede taken by north americans.

nationalism, humanities greatest invention...

 

[Garl]

nationalism, humanities greatest invention...

Yup, just like the family

 

[wings5]

Was taken 7th overall in the Bantam Draft after committing to Michigan before recently signed by the Blazers the other day. Teams were concerned about him going the NCAA route, so I think he would of been a top 5 pick otherwise.

Anyone else have any thoughts about this kid?

I think you should put his position in the thread title so people don't have to look it up

 

[BKarchitect]

Who is a better skater Lindgren or Molendyk?

 

[landy92mack29]

Who is a better skater Lindgren or Molendyk?

Lindgren, he's one of the best skaters in this draft class.


Has looked very impressive early on and playing with a lot of confidence. Starting to control play consistently and do what he wants which he only flashed last year. I'm expecting him to climb up draft boards here quickly and definitely be a 1st rounder, how high we'll see. Kamloops is a high powered offensive team so should put up good numbers....even if he doesn't his raw abilities are eye popping. Downish year it's looking like early on for the dub but high end group with him, Geekie, Savoie and Mateychuk at least.

 

[covfefe]

Agreed, looks like a 1st rounder to me. Skating is top shelf and he moves the puck very well.

 

[Bubbles]

Really heating up lately. 3A tonight.

 

[Fisticuffer]

Somebody will get a 2nd rd steal when they call his name.
Terrific skills.

 

[MS]

Somebody will get a 2nd rd steal when they call his name.
Terrific skills.

I'll be surprised if he doesn't sneak into the first round.

His skating and edgework are exceptional and combined with his puckhandling skills he's able to tilt the ice on breakouts and in transition. Handles WHL-level forecheck with absolute ease.

He doesn't really have the shot to line up with the rest of his offensive game and there will be a few questions about his physicality but teams will absolutely love his ability to get the puck up the ice.

 

[Fisticuffer]

I'll be surprised if he doesn't sneak into the first round.

His skating and edgework are exceptional and combined with his puckhandling skills he's able to tilt the ice on breakouts and in transition. Handles WHL-level forecheck with absolute ease.

He doesn't really have the shot to line up with the rest of his offensive game and there will be a few questions about his physicality but teams will absolutely love his ability to get the puck up the ice.

He could go in the 1st. I know if I were picking late I’d have a hard time passing on that skill level

 

[Get North]

I notice the same thing with all the WHL defencemen, they never have the Heiskanen, Makar and Seider quickness You're seeing young players like Smith and Byram get flattened at the NHL level.

Lindgren, Mateychuk or Korchinski can wait till the 2nd round because none are top pairing guys like Nemec has a chance to be. You get 1st round pick every year and selecting a defenceman requires NHL level quickness if you want a chance at a top-pairing guy.

 

[BKarchitect]

I notice the same thing with all the WHL defencemen, they never have the Heiskanen, Makar and Seider quickness You're seeing young players like Smith and Byram get flattened at the NHL level.

Lindgren, Mateychuk or Korchinski can wait till the 2nd round because none are top pairing guys like Nemec has a chance to be. You get 1st round pick every year and selecting a defenceman requires NHL level quickness if you want a chance at a top-pairing guy.

Byram was stellar as a rookie when healthy this year. His quickness was not at all an issue and he actually was a top pairing guy with fantastic defensive metrics and offensive results for a 20 year-old.

Ty Smith absolutely has been crushed this year but Byram is a very bizarre choice of an example of a poorly adapting WHL defender due to quickness issues. His feet are definitely NHL quick and he rarely gets beat plus he absolutely is industrious and never stops moving or forcing opponents to react.

 

[MS]

I notice the same thing with all the WHL defencemen, they never have the Heiskanen, Makar and Seider quickness You're seeing young players like Smith and Byram get flattened at the NHL level.

Lindgren, Mateychuk or Korchinski can wait till the 2nd round because none are top pairing guys like Nemec has a chance to be. You get 1st round pick every year and selecting a defenceman requires NHL level quickness if you want a chance at a top-pairing guy.

1) Nemec right now is a top-5 pick on consolidated rankings. Nobody is saying that Lindgren or Mateychuk is a better prospect than him, and there is plenty of room for Nemec to go #5 overall and another 8-10 defenders to go later in the first round.

2) Are you saying that Lindgren doesn't have NHL-level quickness? What? His skating and agility are off-the-charts and it's easily his biggest strength. His edgework is exquisite.

3) Byram has adjusted terrifically to the NHL and was killing it in top-4 minutes at age 20 until concussion issues have come into play.

 

[Get North]

1) Nemec right now is a top-5 pick on consolidated rankings. Nobody is saying that Lindgren or Mateychuk is a better prospect than him, and there is plenty of room for Nemec to go #5 overall and another 8-10 defenders to go later in the first round.

2) Are you saying that Lindgren doesn't have NHL-level quickness? What? His skating and agility are off-the-charts and it's easily his biggest strength. His edgework is exquisite.

3) Byram has adjusted terrifically to the NHL and was killing it in top-4 minutes at age 20 until concussion issues have come into play.

I believe with a 1st round pick, you only select a defenceman if you believe he can be a top-pairing defenceman. Although, the quality of the draft will be a significant factor in where players are selected... But generally speaking that's my ideology.

The odds are pretty low for anyone not named Nemec to be that player. As for Lindgren, I'm not seeing a Chychurn type of progress into the NHL... It takes a lot to be a top pairing guy, and we won't know if he has NHL level quickness until he plays there.

 

[MS]

I believe with a 1st round pick, you only select a defenceman if you believe he can be a top-pairing defenceman. Although, the quality of the draft will be a significant factor in where players are selected... But generally speaking that's my ideology.

The odds are pretty low for anyone not named Nemec to be that player. As for Lindgren, I'm not seeing a Chychurn type of progress into the NHL... It takes a lot to be a top pairing guy, and we won't know if he has NHL level quickness until he plays there.

This seems like an odd philosophy to me.

Picks 17-32 in the first round there will be maybe 5 guys who go on to become legitimate quality NHL top-6/top-4 players. If you get a quality 2nd pairing defender from #25 overall that's a *great* result.

Also we're seeing a huge shift towards smaller skill guys playing higher up blueline depth charts.

Chychrun should never have gone where he did. Dumb scouts overrated a small-sample U-18 tournament.

 

[bukwas]

This kid has potential. His skating and offensive ability are excellent.
Surprised there isn’t much hype.

 

[WeThreeKings]

This kid has potential. His skating and offensive ability are excellent.
Surprised there isn’t much hype.

We are keeping it quiet so the Habs can nab him in round 2.

 

[ORRFForever]

1 assist vs Prince George - 2 periods in...

GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	PIM	PPG	SHG	SOG	FOW
64	5	39	44	21	40	0	1	119	1

 

[XxXxXXxx]

 

[rt]

I’ve watched quite a bit of CHL and USHL games this season. I’m not a scout, but this player seems extremely underrated to me. Every time I watch him, I’m very impressed.

 

[covfefe]

I’ve watched quite a bit of CHL and USHL games this season. I’m not a scout, but this player seems extremely underrated to me. Every time I watch him, I’m very impressed.

He’s even better in person, just one of those guys who makes smart, subtle plays every time he’s on the ice.

Offensively there’s more in the tank here.

I look at Korchinski now being ranked in the top 10-15 - while Lindgren is at 30+, and think that frankly, that doesn’t make much sense.