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New York Rangers Prospect Watch: Olof Lindbom

This edition of the New York Rangers prospect watch takes a look at Olof Lindbom. The Rangers selected Lindbom with the 39th overall pick 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 goals. Following his draft from him, 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.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 29: Miles Wood #44 of the New Jersey Devils screens Olof Lindbom #60 of the New York Rangers during the third period at Madison Square Garden on September 29, 2022 in New York City. The Devils defeated the Rangers 5-2. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

The 22-year-old is currently playing his first season in North America. He saw action in one preseason game for the Rangers. He 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 goals 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 of him 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.

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.

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New York Rangers goalie prospect Olof Lindbom 2022-2023 highlights

Rangers Future

Igor Shesterkin is and will be the Rangers starting goalie for the foreseeable future. His backup of him 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.

Be sure to bookmark our hockey page for hockey coverage and follow Belly Up Hockey on Twitter: @BellyUpHockey. Follow me on Twitter for more takes on the New York Rangers and USA Hockey: @KHallNY. You can also listen to my NY Rangers podcast The Broadway Hat Podcast on Apple Podcast and Spotify. for Rangers news and interviews with past and current players.

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