3 Prospects the Blackhawks Can Draft if They Don't Land the No. 1 Overall Pick

3. Cayden Lindstrom 

Despite being a forward like Demidov, Lindstrom plays a completely different game than his peers at the top of this year’s draft board. The Chetwynd, BC native is listed on most scouting reports at 6’4. Lindstrom uses his size to his advantage on the offensive end, possessing a rare power-forward build and prototype that can also score proficiently. The centerman wins a lot of the physical board battles he finds himself in and plays with an excellent motor for someone of his stature. 

Lindstrom is coming off an impressive season for the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL. The big man finished the campaign with 46 points (27 goals, 19 assists) in 32 regular season games. Lindstrom scored more points in the 23-24 year than he did in his first season with the Tigers. The forward finished the 2022-23 season with 42 points (19 goals, 23 assists) in 61 games. The uptick in production from his first to second year is extremely promising and has helped his name shoot up draft boards. Lindstrom also played for Team Canada’s U18 squad in the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring two goals in five games. 

The power forward would complement Bedard nicely in different ways than Demidov would. Lindstrom could serve as a relief to the young phenom in the face-off efforts, allowing Bedard to play on the wing more. His style contradicting Bedard’s can also play a factor in each player’s growth. While both can score at will, Lindstrom’s physical style meshed with Bedard’s finesse approach would be fun to watch for years.