The Florida Panthers selected forward Owen Lindmark in the fifth round (137th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at Rogers Place in Vancouver, one pick after they selected Henrik Rybinski.
In the season prior to being chosen by the Cats, Lindmark played in 56 games for the United States National Development Program team and scored 11 goals and 14 assists. He also represented his country at the U18 IIHF World Championship in Sweden and scored one goal in seven games and won a bronze medal.
After being drafted and attending development camp, the hard-working two-way center had a solid season as a freshman with the University of Wisconsin. He finished his first NCAA campaign with six goals and 11 assists to go along with a plus-six rating and 8 PIM in 36 games played. He won 148 of the 286 faceoffs (51.7%) he took over the course of the season. Lindmark’s two shorthanded goals were tops on the Badgers. He had four goals and six assists in his first 14 games before tailing off offensively.
Lindmark showed some offensive improvement as a sophomore, again finishing with 17 points (4G/13A), but in less games (27) during the COVID-19 truncated schedule. He scored shorthanded twice to again lead the team in this department. He registered 35 shots on goal, blocked 35 shots and finished the year with a +3 rating and 4 PIM.
Due to injuries, Lindmark was only able to suit up for nine games with the Badgers in 2021-22. His only point of the season was an empty-net goal in a 4-1 win against Army on October 14. He registered 12 shots on goal and finished the season with a minus-one rating. Prior to the start of the campaign, he had surgery to repair an adductor muscle which was followed by further work on his hip after he played his last game against Clarkson on November 27.
As a senior, Lindmark returned to full health and appeared in all 36 of Wisconsin’s games. He scored four times and added five assists, with the offensive highlight of his season coming when he produced a goal and an assist in a 6-3 win over fifth-ranked Michigan on December 2, his only multipoint game. He led the team with two shorthanded goals and was credited with 35 shots, 31 blocks and finished with a minus-six rating.
Lindmark attended Florida’s most recent development camp, his first since 2019. He was one of three players to score for Team White in a 6-3 scrimmage loss to Team Red on the final day. I’d expect we’ll see him again at rookie camp in the fall. While the 22-year-old doesn’t offer much offensively, he does possess a strong work ethic and his best attributes from a skill-set perspective are winning faceoffs and killing penalties. The Panthers hold his rights for one more year, but it looks like he’ll need to put in some serious work in the minors to have a chance to earn an entry-level deal with the club.