Prospect Info: D Mats Lindgren -- Taken 106th in 2022, Not Tendered

[Chainshot]

Fortin thinks he will grow to 6' per his post-draft press conference.

 

[Woodhouse]

DP Scouting Team's Final Rankings for the 2022 NHL Draft

Powered by InStat Hockey We have reached the conclusion of what has been another long draft cycle but this one felt far more normal than the last couple of years did. For the most part, leagues around the world returned to their regular schedules, providing draft-eligible

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48 | Mats Lindgren​

D | Kamloops (WHL) | 6-0 | 176 | Shoots: L​

Evan Pace: After some impressive performances offensively throughout the end of the regular season, Mats Lindgren’s offensive production fell off a bit during the playoffs. He went seven straight games without a point in the postseason, and while he’s absolutely a pass-first defender, his team was still scoring a good amount.

Lindgren is an offensive defenseman with decent size and mobility, who’s at his best as a quarterback on the powerplay. While his production tailed off, he still shows excellent vision, mobility with the puck, and is able to hold his own physically. Even though he’s not the best skater, he has solid awareness of the ice and great edgework.

The main concern with Lindgren is his one-dimensional play since he’s not very good in his own end. He’s able to step up and make hits, physically out-battle opponents in the corners, and escape using good first steps and hitting a teammate with a pass. However, he lacks awareness in coverage and can make poor decisions. Similarly, he can make risky passes or do too much with the puck on his stick, leading to turnovers.

He’s got the tools to develop into a solid bottom-pairing offensive defenseman, and in the right situation, he could become a top prospect in the future. Our team feels he needs seasoning at the junior and professional levels before making the jump to the NHL.

 

[Dingo44]

 

[Fjordy]

Looks good pickup

 

[Eye of Ra]

his dad is swedish

 

[MarkusKetterer]

his dad is swedish

And he’s Canadian because of being born in Canada. And I guess he grew up here because he was invited to a Team Canada camp.

Next year Radek Bonk’s kid is available to be drafted and he’s Canadian too

 

[Chainshot]

his dad is swedish

Yes, and a former NHLer.

 

[Eye of Ra]

And he’s Canadian because of being born in Canada. And I guess he grew up here because he was invited to a Team Canada camp.

Next year Radek Bonk’s kid is available to be drafted and he’s Canadian too

i wished he grew up in sweden, we need players more than canada does

 

[MarkusKetterer]

i wished he grew up in sweden, we need players more than canada does

I honestly thought he did. I only know he’s Canadian because I saw it on his Twitter feed

 

[Dingo44]

 

[NotProkofievian]

Lindgren at 106 is insane, stupid, ridiculous, absurd value.

 

[Digable5]

I really wanted Savoie and that was my favorite Sabres pick this season until I started watching videos on Mats Lindgren. I know Chain said he wasn’t a great skater, but that’s not what I’m saying. Maybe not very fast but great change of direction ability. I don’t think skating will be an issue. He needs to work on his defensive skills and strength.

Watch:

 

[DatDude44]

I really wanted Savoie and that was my favorite Sabres pick this season until I started watching videos on Mats Lindgren. I know Chain said he wasn’t a great skater, but that’s not what I’m saying. Maybe not very fast but great change of direction ability. I don’t think skating will be an issue. He needs to work on his defensive skills and strength.

Watch:

Just watched that 1st video.....and my reaction is OK EWWWW, this kid is gross. I don't care what other hindrances he has in his game. in the 4th rd you're not finding D that can do what he was doing in that video. What an exciting player especially considering where he was picked. Gives me gostisbehere vibes

 

[NotProkofievian]

I really wanted Savoie and that was my favorite Sabres pick this season until I started watching videos on Mats Lindgren. I know Chain said he wasn’t a great skater, but that’s not what I’m saying. Maybe not very fast but great change of direction ability. I don’t think skating will be an issue. He needs to work on his defensive skills and strength.

Watch:

He has the best edges in the entire draft, no one else is even close. His forward stride is a bit sluggish, but I think he just lacks a bit of strength in his legs.

 

[Chainshot]

I really wanted Savoie and that was my favorite Sabres pick this season until I started watching videos on Mats Lindgren. I know Chain said he wasn’t a great skater, but that’s not what I’m saying. Maybe not very fast but great change of direction ability. I don’t think skating will be an issue. He needs to work on his defensive skills and strength.

Watch:

Where did I say that?

 

[Chainshot]

More Black Book stuff:

Defensively, he’s not a puck watcher. He’s actually one of the more mature, aware, in-zone defenders in this WHL class as he keeps his head on a swivel and is a frequent shoulder checker so that he doesn’t lose track of what’s going on behind him. For being just 5’11”, 173 pounds, he doesn’t take a lot of guff in front of his own net either. Naturally, the 20 year olds with 30 pounds on him present a challenge now, but Lindgren will play through the body and dish out some – let’s say – tactical cross checks in the process. He understands box-out principles, the execution will improve with strength and experience. Above all, there’s urgency to his defensive game. Even if he makes a mistake in the process, he does a nice job of not compounding them later in the sequence. That’s one of the key development points for him as the year has gone on – he looks more confident in his gaps on rush absorption and he finds a way to erase any misgivings. He was a team-best plus-13 in 17 playoff games and that’s not necessarily a defensive stat – but in the context of him playing nearly 400 minutes and only being on the ice for seven goals against in the playoffs (3 of which were power play goals against, one of those was into an empty net), it really speaks to how well he has gotten defensively as the games got tougher.

The details in his game really help him out too. He has a lot of veteran moves that make his game look much cleaner. Looking at his tight gaps in rush absorption situations, he does a nice job directing players wide and then instead of going all the way for the hit, he’ll bait and switch last second, force the chip and chase by the attacker and then pivot to go back for the retrieval, but in the process he owns the attacker’s lane to the puck. On top of that, he has the skill chaining to go back and retrieve it and offer some misdirection to allow for a zone exit. Typically, we talk about skill chaining in the context of high-skilled forwards being able to put several technical (and mental) pieces together to really make a complete play. But we see it in Lindgren’s defensive and transition initiation game as well: good rush absorption, pivot into instant body position, and then over some, say, stick misdirection combined with a jab step and then he’ll turn against pressure and move the puck to his partner against the direction of his body’s turn. When he puts it all together in one sequence, it’s splendid and very scalable to the pro game. Even in this area, he's greater than the sum of his parts. His skating base is tricky to judge. He has a wide base and it’s not mechanically pretty, but he is effective…transition skating, pivots, lateral crossovers, edge work, surprisingly tight turns (stick-led turns) with and without the puck for efficiency, that’s all very good. His straight line skating is average at best and his stride mechanics and hunched over posture just don’t seem to generate a lot of power in this area.

Sort of the same deal with his offensive game – greater than the sum of its parts. He handles the puck fairly well, he doesn’t chop it up by any means, but he’s also not very creative off the rush. His shot is maybe the weakest aspect of his game. But again, he makes it work with details. One, he’s one of the most accurate passers among draft eligibles in the WHL. But what’s more is that his off-pass activation makes him and his teammates much more dangerous in space. Lindgren moves the puck and activates to find open ice or create room for others with his hockey sense. This comes into focus when he walks his way to the center of the point. He gives himself two passing options with the puck while dragging a defender out of his ordinary zone of control. He’ll make a pass in-stride and then cut into a new area to keep the defense guessing.

Similarly, his partner support in all three zones is tremendous. It’s thoughtful, well-positioned, well-spaced, and generally selfless – it’s tough to ask for more from a 17 year old at this level. He isn’t a big risk taker with the puck, but there are subtleties to his attack zone game that actually mirror his puck retrieval game that will come in handy. For instance, off of a scissor cycle, he’ll come down the wall with the puck…the other team has to respect him coming down hill, even if he’s out on the perimeter. As he works in, he’ll sell that he’s going to continue to go down the boards, leading with the puck just enough to get a defender to commit to him, then he’ll jab step and pivot back against pressure and as part of the turn find the seam that he knows opened up behind him and make a confident pass.

We could say this about any player, but it really is a shame that he isn’t four inches taller, faster, and more skilled in space (right?) because there is so much that’s scalable and projectable about the structure and mental framework of his game that he would have been talked about as a much, much higher selection.

 

[Fjordy]

I think Lindgren and Komarov very good pick up

 

[landy92mack29]

He's the steal of the draft as long as the Sabres brass remain patient. High IQ, high skill but raw...give him 2 more whl seasons and 100ish ahl games could have a Devon Toews on your hands. Personally had him in the 25-35 range and would've taken him over Korchinski so at least you're not hawks fans

 

[Digable5]

If he was a better skater, there would be a lot of parallels to me with Ryan Johnson.

@Chainshot, well, I guess you didn’t say he was a bad skater. Only that “if he was a better skater”. My apologies.

 

[Ace]

More you look into him the more you like.

 

[DatDude44]

Would Gustav Forsling be a fair comparison?

 

[Fjordy]

Would Gustav Forsling be a fair comparison?

I prefer Devon Toews.

 

[Wordofmouth]

Reporter: "Can you tell us a little about your 4th round pick, Mats Lindgren?"

Adams: "Haven't watched him much... But have you seen his mom?!?"

 

[MarkusKetterer]

He's the steal of the draft as long as the Sabres brass remain patient. High IQ, high skill but raw...give him 2 more whl seasons and 100ish ahl games could have a Devon Toews on your hands. Personally had him in the 25-35 range and would've taken him over Korchinski so at least you're not hawks fans

I had him in the same range going back to the start of the season.

 

[itwasaforwardpass]

@Chainshot, well, I guess you didn’t say he was a bad skater. Only that “if he was a better skater”. My apologies.

And Ryan Johnson is just a tremendous skater.