Leafs Prospect Report: 2015 Draft Review – Jesper Lindgren

Welcome to another edition of the Maple Leafs Prospect Report. Throughout the NHL playoffs and off-season we will be updating you on the development, potential and realistic expectations for key Toronto Maple Leafs prospects with up-to-date stats, analysis and scouting reports.

The prospect pipeline which has long been a black hole for the Toronto Maple Leafs is now full of good, young talent with the chance to add even more at the 2016 NHL draft. The Leafs have the No.2&3 ranked prospects on TheHockeyNews’ Top50 Future Watch rankings and with their winning of the Draft Lottery look to add to that with (likely) Auston Mathews. As far as tank jobs go, this season went down perfectly.

Continuing our breakdown of the Leafs 2015 Draft class, today on the Prospect Report we’ll take a look at the forgotten player of the 2015 draft;

Jesper Lindgren

Get To Know Him:

Position / Jersey Number: D / 35

Height / Weight: 6ft / 161lbs

Age / Shoots: 19 / Right

League / Team: SHL / MODO

Draft Position: 95th Overall, 4th Round, 2015 Draft, Toronto Maple Leafs

One of the most unheralded parts of Mark Hunter’s 2015 draft class was Swedish Dman Jesper Lindgren. The often forgotten Lindgren started the season with MODO’s U-20 team where he posted 14pts in 20 games in an up and down season split between the big club where he scored twice and added an assist in 26 games again grown men. The slight but incredibly skilled Lindgren also took part in the World Junior U-20 and U-19 tournaments with Sweden posting 0pts in 3 games and 3pts in 4 games respectively.

HockeysFuture.com says:

Lindgren is a very clever, right-shooting defenseman who has a keen eye for pass stations, particularly in the offensive zone. Excellent at giving a deadly first pass and skating the puck out of his own zone, his desire to control things with the puck on his stick can get him into trouble. Giving the impression of being a bit on the small size, he does actually have average size, but will need to bulk up in the years to come to withstand the checking pressure an offensive-oriented game like his will incur. Lindgren still needs to show that he can display his considerable stick-handling skills and attention to detail when facing upbeat, equal competition. A slick skater moving forward, and adequate in his lateral movement, there are a number of people who feel Lindgren does much like Erik Karlsson did at that age. The two share oddly similar styles and look on the ice.

Now before you all go getting way over excited about the Erik Karlsson comparison, Lindgren has a LONG, LONG, LOOOOOOONG way to go before even being considered to be in the same talent hemisphere as that of Erik Karlsson.

What they mean is that he has similar skating mechanics and physical attributes and generally emulates a similar style of game.

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His biggest asset to the Leafs pipeline is that he is a right-handed shot, which all levels of the Leafs organization are lacking now.

As HockeysFuture mentions, if Lindgren wants to transition to the North American game he will absolutely have to add muscle to his rather wiry frame.

His offensive zone vision is both excellent, and although he won’t blow you away with his skating – it isn’t a weakness. His vision and elite passing skills make him well suited to run a power play, and if he’s going to make it to the NHL it will be with that as his meal ticket.

His penchant for over handling the puck can be very costly for his team at times and until he irons this glaring weakness out of his game, he is a long ways away from the show.

However, if he can calm his game down, make better defensive decisions with the puck and add some muscle, then the Leafs have a potentially game breaking offensive d-man on their hands.

Upside: 30+ Point Power Play Quarterback

Realistic Projection: Career AHL Dman

Chance Of Becoming NHL Regular: >10%

NHL Ready: 2019-2020

NHL Player Comparable: (Low End) TJ Brennan / (High End) Sami Vatanen

Next: 2016 Draft Options At #61

Is Lindgren a steal by Mark Hunter? Does he have a better chance of becoming an NHL regular than I’ve laid out? Do you have a better comparable for him? As always, feel free to comment below or reach out to me on twitter @TorrinBatchelor and let me know what you think.

Stay Tuned for Martins Dzierkals next time on Maple Leafs Prospect Report.