The New York Rangers' fifth round choice in the 2025 NHL Draft is 18-year-old defenseman named Zeb Lindgren, who played for Swedish side Skelleftea, potting four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 38 games for the team's under 20 roster during the 2024-25 season. With the U18 squad, Lindgren only played in a pair of games and his stint with Skelleftea's senior side at the SHL level wasn't much better- only 5 games under his belt there.
With the 139th pick at the 2025 NHL Draft, #NYR are proud to select Zeb Lindgren. pic.twitter.com/Wge4VDyDkT
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) June 28, 2025
Lindgren, who oddly enough shares last names with Rangers legend Ryan Lindgren, albeit with no relation, is a native of Umea, Sweden and like the Rangers' first pick in this year's draft, he has a big stature that may help him adjust to the physicality of the NHL. Lindgren stands 6'2" and weighs 192 lbs., making him another hefty defenseman the Rangers can bolster the Rempe line with.
The positives for Lindgren, opposite of his low playing time, are the fact he was ranked 20th among European skaters in this year's NHL Central Scouting. Lindgren is also strong on the one on one aspects of the game, in addition to having an already high hockey IQ. His attention and constant battling mentality make him a decent choice for the Blueshirts.
Rangers select LD Zeb Lindgren at 139th overall. #NYR pic.twitter.com/ro0XIap6lT
— David 🏒 (@DaveyUpper) June 28, 2025
Lindgren comes in at 74th in The Hockey News' overall prospect rankings with his best developed traits being his unique and simple playstyle, plus his skating mobility, making him a mildly decent all-around player that could play other positions than what he currently plays at defenseman. Besides his domestic play, Lindgren won a bronze medal with Sweden at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and a pair of silver medals at the World Jr. A Challenge and World U18 Championship.
This season, he may look to continue playing with the U20 team with Skelleftea if making the Rangers' final roster in the fall doesn't quite work out. If he does make the Rangers' final roster, he'll most likely land on New York's 4th defensive line, about where Braden Schneider and Urho Vaakanainen. Lindgren may not be a noted goal scorer, but question marks like that can go out the window if the same player excels in other departments like Lindgren's.