Mats Lindgren

May 2023 – Lindgren was traded in August 2022 from the Kamloops Blazers to the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. With his new team, the offensive defenseman scored 11 goals and 34 points in 63 games in 2022-2023. He was a critical part of the Rebels’ postseason campaign, tallying seven points in five games against the Calgary Hitmen in the first round of the 2023 WHL playoffs. He scored two goals and two assists in the series-clinching game, a 6-5 overtime victory. His team was eliminated in the following round. So far in 2023-2024, Lindgren has tallied six goals and 29 points in 40 games with Red Deer, significantly increasing his offensive production compared to his previous campaign. Kevin Wong

July 2022 – The Buffalo Sabres have selected Lindgren in the fourth round of the 2022 NHL Draft. Nick Richard

December 2021 – Now in his second WHL season, Lindgren has looked more confident than he did as a rookie. He hasn’t scored quite as much as some of the other top WHL draft-eligible defenders but he still displays the awareness to be a productive blueliner as he continues to refine his game.

Lindgren isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing skater but covers a lot of ice with his powerful stride and has the elusiveness to shake opposing defenders with the puck on his stick. He controls the offensive blue line with quick head fakes and his great edge work allows him to separate to open up shooting or passing lanes. Defensively, he is aggressive in taking away time and space off the rush and in defensive zone coverage but can sometimes get caught taking poor angles. Lindgren appears to have the right idea at both ends of the ice more often than not but he needs to execute with more consistency, especially with the puck on his stick. His upside as a top-four NHL defenceman might not be as apparent as some of the other defenders projected as potential first-round picks in the 2022 draft, but I still believe it’s there. Nick Richard