This edition of the New York Rangers prospect watch takes a look at Olof Lindbom. The Rangers selected Lindbom with the 39th overall selection in the 2nd round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He was the first goalie selected. Seen as a bit of a reach, Lindbom was coming off a fantastic U18 World Junior Championship and was seen as one of the top European goalies. Following his draft, Lindbom would play 4 pro seasons in his native Sweden. Mostly in Sweden’s second-highest league, HockeyAllsvenskan. The Rangers signed him to an entry-level contract last May following a strong season with Kristianstads IK.
The 22-year-old is currently playing his first season in North America. He saw action in one preseason game for the Rangers. Stopping 9 of the 10 shots he faced. He has seen a majority of his action this season with the Jacksonville Icemen, the Rangers ECHL affiliate. He did receive a call-up to the AHL and the Harford Wolf Pack in late January. Where he relieved Dylan Garand off the bench one game. I sat down with Olof to ask him all about his adjustment to playing and living in the US this season. Also, about getting drafted by his favorite team growing up and about his idol Henrik Lundqvist.
King Henrik
Like most Swedish goalies that grew up in the mid-2000s to 2010s, Olof Lindbom’s idol was none other than New York Rangers superstar goalie Henrik Lundqvist. The only difference between Olof and those other kids is his favorite team from childhood would draft him. Olof and I talked about his admiration for Lundqvist and how he tried to model his game off him and watch as much video as he could to learn from his idol. The man Olof considers the greatest Swedish goaltender of all time.
New York Rangers goalie prospect Olof Lindbom talks about his idol Henrik Lundqvist and watching his game tapes growing up. He still watches his highlights sometimes before games to get pumped up. Check out our interview with the #NYR goalie prospect⬇️https://t.co/uyCQMtTuTp pic.twitter.com/TLMZSLVbNb
— The Broadway Hat Podcast (@Broadwayhatpod) March 24, 2023
Adjusting to North America
In his first season here in North America there were some struggles in the beginning. I talked with Nick Luukko in December about Olof and he said all the tools are there he just needs to get comfortable. Well since the middle of December Lindbom has taken off. He is tied for the team lead in wins (15) with veteran goalie Parker Gahagen. He earned his first ECHL shutout in December. The goalie tandem has led Jacksonville into a battle for first place, and one of the best seasons in franchise history.
Rangers Future
Igor Shesterkin is and will be the Rangers starting goalie for the foreseeable future. His backup is a question mark. Jaroslav Halak is 37, so he is not in the future plans. With a cap crunch coming for the Rangers these next few seasons they will need a cheap backup goalie. That could be Lindbom’s ticket to the NHL. Keep an eye on the former 2nd round pick. He has all the tools to become a successful NHL goalie, he just needs a little more time with goalie coach Benoit Allaire to perfect them.
New York Rangers goalie prospect Olof Lindbom shares a self-scouting report and also talks about what Rangers goalie coach Benoit Allaire has him focusing on right now. Learn more about the Rangers 2018 2nd Round Pick!https://t.co/1oQwprAs6P#NYR #hockeytwitter #NHL @lindbom30 pic.twitter.com/QvlqSWsqWz
— The Broadway Hat Podcast (@Broadwayhatpod) March 23, 2023
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