NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Ryan Lindgren

Get to Know Ryan Lindgren

Date of Birth: 2/11/1998
Place of Birth: Minneapolis, MN, USA
Ht: 6’0″ Wt: 203 lbs
Shoots: Left
Position: Defense
Team (League): U.S. National Development Team Program (USHL)

Statistics

What Scouts See

Last Word on Sports:

Lindgren is better known for his defensive game than his offence at this point. He has strong positioning, keeping himself between his man and the net.  He reads the play well, and uses a quick stick to cut down passing lanes and create turnovers. Lindgren is not a huge hitter but he is physically involved in the corners and in front of the net, establishing leverage and using his strength and balance to its full advantage.  He makes a good first pass out of the zone and gets the transition game going. He also has enough puckhandling ability to protect the puck while avoiding forecheckers.

Future Considerations:

Lindgren, the U18 team captain, is an interesting prospect because he plays with such self-assurance, presence and physical edge. He skates with a wide base and is tough to knock off the puck. He has a very strong stride and gets up to speed quickly. He also moves well laterally and excels at slowing attackers down. Lindgren plays with an intimidating intensity. He throws his weight around like a wrecking ball and shows no hesitation when attacking loose pucks.

What BSN Avalanche sees

Lindgren is a strong skater who really plays with a lot of confidence. He’s a “follow my lead” type of player who plays with a nasty edge. He likes the physical side of the game and actively seeks to punish puck carriers who challenge him. He’s a smart defender who reads the play at a high level and he is rarely caught out of position.

Avs fans won’t love this but his puck handling ability is a real concern. He panics a little too easily under pressure and his decision-making is very questionable at times. Don’t automatically jump to the conclusion that he’s Duncan Siemens, though, because he isn’t. He’s Ryan Lindgren, silly.

Highlights

NHL Potential

Lindgren will be an interesting prospect to follow moving forward. The defenseman position in the NHL is rapidly changing and the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup with the group they did will only further expedite that process. Lindgren is built to be more of a late 90’s, early 00’s style defender. Can he succeed in today’s NHL as more of a defensive defenseman that struggles with the puck and isn’t an elite skater?

Expected Draft Position

Lindgren is ranked by some in the second round conversation and by others in the third round conversation so…that’s where to look for him.

How Prospect Fits in Avalanche Organization

Lindgren would be another in the D stable and would be decent value in the third round in my eyes. I don’t love him at 40th, however, because I don’t see higher upside than the five or six guys who will be in the AHL already this year for the Avs. He’s not a bad player but he’d be fighting an uphill battle of a numbers game and playing a style the Avs already have plenty of. If guys can legit play, you don’t worry about redundancy. With mid-round selections, it can be a concern.