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Blue Jackets first-round draft pick Cayden Lindstrom relays his style<\/p>\n
Blue Jackets first-round pick, forward Cayden Lindstrom, was asked about his finer qualities. Here he describes what Columbus fans can expect to see.<\/p>\n
Cayden Lindstrom, the Blue Jackets’ top prospect, played his final game with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the Memorial Cup championship.Despite a leg injury sustained during the WHL playoffs, Lindstrom prioritized returning to play with his junior team.Lindstrom will join Michigan State’s hockey program next season, taking advantage of new NCAA eligibility rules.<\/p>\n
Cayden Lindstrom\u2019s final game with the Medicine Hat Tigers<\/a> didn\u2019t end with a dream finish, but the Blue Jackets\u2019 top prospect<\/a> accomplished a huge goal just by playing<\/a> in the Memorial Cup championship\u00a0<\/p>\n After a frustrating season dealing with a back injury in Columbus<\/a>, the fourth overall pick of the NHL\u2019s 2024 draft<\/a> rejoined his junior teammates to finish the season with a Western Hockey League championship run, plus an impressive\u00a0showing at the Memorial Cup \u2014 the crowning tournament for the Canadian Hockey League’s three circuits.<\/p>\n Medicine Hat lost to the London Knights on June 1 in the\u00a0championship, but Lindstrom left Rimouski, Quebec, Canada, thankful to rejoin his junior teammates before embarking on a new challenge next season at Michigan State.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was my goal all season to come back for the (WHL) playoffs and play, and win a championship with the Tigers, so that\u2019s what I did,\u201d Lindstrom said. \u201cIt felt really good mentally, and physically the body felt good as well. So,\u00a0it was overall good.\u201d<\/p>\n Lindstrom\u2019s back held up well, but a hit to his left leg in the third game of the WHL championship series caused a painful \u201ccharley horse\u201d tissue bruise that limited him significantly for the remainder of the Tigers\u2019 postseason. He missed Game 4 of the WHL championship, played sparingly in Medicine Hat\u2019s Game 5 clinching win and then missed the Tigers\u2019 Memorial Cup opener following a long flight that caused issues in his injured leg.\u00a0<\/p>\n Still, Lindstrom played the final three games for the Tigers to finish his season in uniform. There were multiple points during the season that didn\u2019t seem like a realistic outcome, especially after his back surgery to repair a herniated disc in November 2024.\u00a0<\/p>\n He could\u2019ve shifted his focus to starting his offseason training early, eschewing any thoughts of returning to Medicine Hat, but playing again for the Tigers never dropped from Lindstrom\u2019s list of priorities.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt great,\u201d Lindstrom said. \u201cThey kept in touch with me all season and asked when I was coming back, so it was just, overall, such a good experience to go through with those guys. To battle through the rest of the playoffs and the Memorial Cup, just to do that with them meant a lot to me.\u201d<\/p>\n It was also a form of closure.\u00a0<\/p>\n Lindstrom has decided to take advantage of a change in NCAA eligibility allowing players from the CHL\u2019s three Canadian junior leagues to join U.S. college teams. The change officially begins in August 2025, allowing Lindstrom to switch his development path next season from Medicine Hat to Michigan State, which has become one of the NCAA\u2019s top programs.<\/p>\n The school has state-of-the-art facilities now at Munn Ice Arena. Head coach Adam Nightingale has also assembled an impressive staff, including highly regarded strength and development coaches. Combine those draws with playing fewer games than junior teams, and Lindstrom switching to the NCAA makes a lot of sense.\u00a0<\/p>\n Considering his\u00a0NHL size and impressive talent, Lindstrom could potentially play just one season for the Spartans before starting his professional career.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m always trying to challenge myself as a player,\u00a0so I think, for me, playing against older guys (in college) would be beneficial for me, just the \u2018compete\u2019 level,\u201d Lindstrom said. \u201cI love to compete against really good players and strong players. I think that builds me as a better player and a more confident player and is a really big reason I chose college (hockey).\u201d<\/p>\n Having more practice time\u00a0at a college program was another selling point.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI think the practices will help me get everything I need back and help me become a really good player and a long-term player,\u201d Lindstrom said. \u201cWe\u2019ll have so much time to go over video and stuff like that, so I think that will really help me out as a player.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Lindstrom probably could\u2019ve gone to any NCAA program, but his visit to Michigan State is what sold him on East Lansing, Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey run their practices like an NHL team,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, their coaches are unbelievable, and just the whole team … I really love the atmosphere around there. They were just so dialed in,\u00a0and that\u2019s what I like. All the guys there just trained and worked so hard, and that really caught my eye.\u201d<\/p>\n Enough to push aside some nudges from the Blue Jackets\u2019 locker room, where four Michigan Wolverines alums hung their gear in the 2024-25 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cI heard a lot about the University of Michigan from those guys, but they actually really helped me with my decision,\u201d Lindstrom said. \u201cThey weren\u2019t pushing me too hard about it. They obviously wanted me to go (to Michigan), but they just said, \u2018Go wherever fits you best,\u2019 and I thought Michigan State fit me best.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Blue Jackets reporter Brian Hedger<\/a> can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com<\/a> and @BrianHedger.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n