Lindstrom could only laugh when asked about the offending gourd, but it’s clear the college shenanigans were appreciated. Other than the NHL, there was nowhere else Lindstrom would rather be than at Michigan State a year ago, but it doesn’t mean his first season of college hockey was exactly how he envisioned.
The best part was that Lindstrom was back on the ice, playing 31 games for the Spartans after being limited to just 43 between the regular season, playoffs and Memorial Cup the previous two years. A back injury suffered during the 2023-24 season before the draft ended up requiring surgery late in 2024, and the fourth overall pick spent nearly the entire season rehabbing in Columbus.
The hope was his return to the ice in college hockey would be triumphant, but instead there were ups and downs. The good news is Lindstrom was generally healthy and Michigan State was one of the best teams in college hockey, but on a loaded team with one of the best lines in college hockey, he didn't make the impact on the scoresheet that he wanted.
Generally playing second- or third-line minutes and on the No. 2 power play, Lindstrom posted three goals and 10 points in those 31 games, and he spent most of the season shaking off the rust acquired over the previous two campaigns while playing against much older, experienced competition than he experienced while dominating the WHL.
“I think the adjustment was tough,” Lindstrom says now. “I think I thought it was going to be a lot simpler for myself going in, but college hockey is great. It’s a lot of top players, and it’s fast, it’s quick. Everyone is big and strong, fast, so I think just yeah, just keep doing what I’m doing.
“I know what type of player I am. It’s still going to take time to get back to it, but I think I’m on a good trajectory to get there. The biggest thing I take away from it is just to keep working at it and take it day by day. You can’t really rush things, so a lot of times I found myself trying to rush things and get to where I wanted to be as soon as possible and I think that’s what messed me up the most on the mental side of it.”
The best news now is that Lindstrom said the back feels as good as it has in a long time, and he feels his mobility is starting to follow. That might be the biggest key to unlocking his potential, as Lindstrom acknowledged there were times a season ago when he would want to do something on the ice and his body wasn’t quite there yet.
The last three years have been filled with adversity he likely couldn’t have imagined, but he’s a better person for the strides he’s had to take throughout everything.
“I think I learned a lot,” Lindstrom said of the past year. “I don’t even know where to start, just about my body and how I need to handle my frustrations and emotions and things like that because I would want to do something but my body wouldn’t want to do it but my head was thinking about it, you know what I mean? Just getting back into things, taking that year off, for anyone, it’s tough to get back into it.
“You’re still like hesitant going and doing whatever, and just building that confidence in the body back and knowing that you’re gonna be OK, and once you have that confidence everything kind of loosens up. Your shoulders kind of drop and you’re feeling good and everything takes off from there. I’m even still working on that today. It’s definitely gotten a lot better since the start of last season. I’m feeling more mobile and confident in my ability and my body.”
Lindstrom has spoken at length about how his trials and tribulations the past few years have not just been a learning experience but allowed him to have a better understanding of the importance of taking care of himself, and he spent the year in Columbus during his rehab learning how to be a pro from CBJ players who have reached the highest level.
Seeing him up close throughout the entire season, Strahl was able to observe just how seriously Lindstrom has learned to take his craft.
“He’s so dialed,” Strahl said. “He’s always in the gym before we warm up with the team, always the last guy out of the gym, just doing different stuff to get everything in order. If you come in at night, he would be doing different stuff to try to get back, so it’s really cool. He’s very professional in that.”
Lindstrom is set to return to Michigan State for the upcoming season, and he saw up close last year how another Spartan rebounded to his peak level of performance. Charlie Stramel was a first-round pick in the 2023 draft but had some difficult college seasons after suffering an injury, but the MSU forward was one of the top scorers in NCAA hockey last year with 19 goals and 44 points in 37 games.
Lindstrom said he’s talked a lot to Stramel about what it took to get back to being a consistent point producer, and he could follow a similar trajectory going forward. He has someone who believes in him in fellow CBJ first-rounder Jackson Smith, who had the chance to play against him four times this past season at Penn State and can see the potential in his future Jackets teammate.
“You watch him play, I mean, he’s 6-3, 6-4, and he’s just built like a man already,” Smith said. “He’s hard to defend because he’s so strong, has a lot of speed, too. So I can’t wait to see what he does this year. Of course, hopefully not against us – hopefully I can slow him down there, but I think he’s got a ton of potential. That’s why he went fourth overall. He’s going to be a heck of a player.”
