jtubb@medicinehatnews.com@ReporterTubb
Cayden Lindstrom is about to get a fresh stamp on his passport while representing Canada.
The 17-year-old Medicine Hat Tigers forward was named to Team Canada’s roster for the U18 Hlinka Gretzky tournament this summer. The tournament, hosted in Slovakia and Czechia, features teams from the host nations, Germany, Sweden, the U.S., Finland and Switzerland.
“It’s obviously a good feeling getting the opportunity to put on the Canada jersey again,” Lindstrom said. “It’s an honour.”
The Chetwynd, B.C. product has worn the red and white before, representing Canada at the 2022 U17 tournament in Langley. While playing for Canada’s Team White, Lindstrom recorded two goals and two assists in six tournament games. He says the second time making a Canada roster is just as sweet as the first.
“There are some pretty good players in Canada so to get that call and getting put on this team, it’s a great honour,” Lindstrom said.
The nomination comes as no surprise with Lindstrom coming off a strong rookie campaign in the WHL. He was named a finalist for the league’s rookie of the year award, putting up 19 goals and 41 points in 61 games, the lone game he missed was because he was at the U17s.
Lindstrom says as proud as he is to be named to the roster, he still sees room for improvement in his game and looks forward to proving what he can do. He’s also looking forward to his first experience in Europe.
“I haven’t started Googling it yet, but I’ve heard it’s a pretty sweet spot from other people who have told me about it,” Lindstrom said.
His parents won’t be making the trip and will be watching from home while letting him experience the eight-hour time change on his own. He says they had two different reactions when hearing the news.
“They told me they were proud and they’re really excited, their reaction to the Slovakia and Czech location was pretty funny,” Lindstrom said. “They thought it was pretty far, but they think it’s pretty exciting, too.’
Prior to the start of the tournament, Team Canada will practise at the Ice Palace in Budapest, Hungary from July 23-27 and will face off against Hungary’s national U20 team on July 27. They’ll also face Czechia on July 29 at 10 a.m. MST at Fosfa Arena in Breclav as part of its pre-tournament schedule.
Canada opens their Hlinka Gretzky Cup against Finland on July 31 at 7:30 a.m. They’ll face Slovakia Aug. 1 at 11 a.m. and round up the preliminaries against Switzerland on Aug. 2 at 7:30 a.m. The semifinals will be Aug. 4 with the medal round the next day.
While Lindstrom is the lone Tiger representative he is one of eight Western Hockey League talents named to Canada’s roster. He says the WHL’s 2006-born talent pool is strong and is looking forward to playing alongside players he’s suited up with before.
“A couple of them have already represented Canada in the U18s and I played with (Roger) McQueen and a couple other guys, Ryder Ritchie, they’re just fantastic,” Lindstrom said. “They’re all really skilled, fast forwards with good IQ, it should be good.”
Since being eliminated in the first round of the WHL playoffs by the now-relocated Winnipeg Ice, Lindstrom has been working out and looking to get better ahead of an important season, as this upcoming year is his NHL draft eligible season.
He says he’s enjoyed the offseason grind and will use it to keep busy until he gets on the plane to represent Canada.
“You kind of have to enjoy the work if you want to succeed,” Lindstrom said. “I’ll be keeping the routine as normal as possible. Staying so intense in the gym and on the ice, getting on the ice and skating one to two times a day.”
