SALT LAKE CITY – The 2024 NHL Draft is less than a month away and Utah’s front office is preparing to make its first selection as a new franchise following its relocation from Arizona.
The NHL Draft will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada on June 28 and 29.
Utah owns 13 picks in the draft, including No. 6 overall in the first round.
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While Boston University’s Macklin Celebrini is projected to go to the San Jose Sharks with the first pick, there is uncertainty with the subsequent selections.
Leading up to the NHL Draft, we’ll dive into some of the top prospects, aside from Celebrini, who might end up on Utah’s roster.
We already looked at Russian forward Ivan Demidov and Michigan State’s Aytyom Leshunov.
Up next is WHL product Cayden Lindstrom.
RELATED: Top 2024 NHL Draft Prospects For Utah
Lindstrom is entering the NHL Draft after missing a chunk of the WHL season following surgery to repair an upper body injury. The forward returned to the ice in late March and recorded 27 goals and 19 assists in 32 games.
In her latest mock draft, ESPN’s Rachel Doerrie projects the Medicine Hat forward to go two spots ahead of Utah’s first round pick, the Columbus Blue Jackets with the No. 4 overall pick.
Doerrie wrote that Lindstrom’s “blend of skating, soft hands and hockey sense at 6-foot-4 is too good a package to pass up.”
NHL.com’s Adam Kimelman and Mike G. Morreale both have Lindstrom going before Utah’s No. 6 pick as well.
Like Doerrie, Kimelman thinks Lindstrom lands with the Blue Jackets. However, Morreale projects the WHL player as the No. 5 pick by the Montreal Canadiens.
🎥CAYDEN LINDSTROM – HIGHLIGHT REEL🎥
The CHL’s Top Prospect Award-winner is checking in!@tigershockey | #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/kJe5luTSoa
— The WHL (@TheWHL) June 7, 2024
“It was a bit of a lost season for Lindstrom because of injuries, but he still scored 27 goals in 32 games,” wrote Kimelman.
“He remains a top forward option in this draft despite missing 36 regular-season games,” Morreale added.
Many mock drafts project a defenseman landing in Utah with the No. 6 overall pick. As with Demidov, a forward like Lindstrom might be too good to pass up should he fall to Utah’s spot in the first round.
Date of Birth: February 3, 2006
Height: 6′ 3.25″
Shoots: Left
League: WHL
Current Team: Medicine Hat
Here's what you're getting in Cayden Lindstrom. 🤩
Yeah, pretty good. #NHLDraft
(🎥: @TheWHL) https://t.co/is2310Vclk pic.twitter.com/FdkUTvT8TZ
— NHL (@NHL) June 2, 2024
Games: 32
Goals: 27
Assists: 19
Points: 46
PIM: 66
The 62nd NHL Draft will be held at the Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada from June 28-29.
The NHL Draft order for the first round has been set for picks 1-16.
Pick 17-32 will be assigned based on the results of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Kyle Ireland is an insider for Utah’s NHL team for KSLSports.com. Follow him on X (@kyleireland), Threads (@kyleirelandksl), and Instagram (@kyleirelandksl).
