Top 25 Under 25, #11: Tobias Lindberg
Tobias Lindberg makes his Top 25 Under 25 debut at #11.
In the aftermath of the Ben Bishop for Cory Conacher + 4th Round Pick trade, no one really cared (nor should they) about what that fourth round pick would get them. Fast forward to two years later and that fourth round pick is the only piece left with the Sens from that trade. But now, that fourth round pick has a name - Tobias Lindberg.
After spending most of his junior career in Sweden, upon recommendations from Senators management he made the jump to the North American game with the Oshawa Generals. Lindberg didn't skip a beat, notching points in 27 of his first 33 games in the OHL before finishing the season with a 32 goals, 46 assists in 67 games to help push the Generals into the playoffs.
Lindberg got off to a torrid pace to start the playoffs, scoring a hat trick and hitting a post in the first period of game one. He and the Generals battled their way past Nick Paul with the North Bay Battalion and Connor McDavid with the Erie Otters on their way to an OHL Championship and a berth in the Memorial Cup tournament.
He continued to shine in the Memorial Cup tournament, leading his team with 5 points in 4 games including an assist on the overtime winner by Anthony Cirelli to hand them the championship.
To cap off a great year, Lindberg was signed to a 3-year entry level contract with the Sens back on June 16th.
I've been able to see Lindberg live in action a couple times and a few more on television, and I'm definitely impressed. While he does have size (6'3, 215lbs), he isn't the most physical player out there. He plays both the powerplay and the penalty kill, and he excels at both.
Expect the Swede to be down in Binghamton for his first pro season, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him suit up for Ottawa in the next few years. With that said, while I am extremely optimistic about Lindberg's future, I'm not ready to make any bold predictions about his future, like comparing him to some other #11...