Top 20 Detroit Red Wings Prospects To Watch In 2019-20

Gustav Lindström, Frölunda HC, 6 points in 2018-19

Back in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Detroit Red Wings selected Gustav Lindström (maybe for the kind of namesake?) in the second round. Lindström, at first glance, is a high-ceiling, future top-tier guy with a lot of excitement that goes unheard. There is plenty of upside with this kid, and it’s finally starting to be realized as he draws closer to an NHL career.

Lindström stands six-foot-two, weighing in at 187-pounds, letting pucks rip from the right-side as a defenseman. In the 2018-19 season, Lindstrom spent his time with Frölunda HC, where he appeared in forty games with the SHL team, and eleven games with the Champions HL team. In his forty games with the SHL team, he scored only six points while putting up the same amount of points in the eleven games for the Champions HL team. However, his 2018-19 season was shortened by an injury that kept him out for some time.

He may not have dotted the scoresheets as Kaski did for the Pelicans team in Liiga, but Lindström was deployed into plenty of high-leverage situations as a twenty-year-old. It was noted that Lindström was receiving more ice time than some veteran Frölunda HC players, as the team opted to play him more. Lindström is a defender who uses his physicality to excel in the defensive zone.

Something that could be considered typical amongst the Detroit Red Wings prospect defenseman is that Lindström reads the play exceptionally well and has a high-level hockey intelligence. In the offensive zone, Lindström may not have the point totals like Kaski, but he has a good shot from the point. His shot allowed Frölunda forwards more opportunities to score, obviously a positive.

Early Expectation: The hope for Lindström is that he will flourish into a top-four defenseman for the Red Wings. If Lindström can become a mainstay in either of the top two pairings of defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings, and this should be considered a victory in the eyes of Yzerman.

This season, Lindström will likely be seeing a lot of time with the Griffins providing he will have plenty of competition with the AHL team to get a crack at the NHL roster. A comparison at the NHL level could be Jake Muzzin, someone who is defensively an aid and can surprise offensively.