Windsor native Lindholm enjoying USPHL’s Jr. Blades, wants to end junior career in style
Kyle Lindholm was tabbed the USPHL Premier South Region Defenseman of the Month for October after a stellar month with the Florida Jr. Blades.
But ask the 2000-born Windsor native about it, and he’d rather win something else.
“This year, I want a national championship,” Lindholm said. “We have a great group of guys with a ton of potential. That combined with an amazing coaching and training staff, I think we can really go far this year. Individually I want to be the best teammate and captain I can be. With that, I hope to earn an NCAA Division III offer where I can play the next four years.”
Lindholm played the 2019-20 season for the USPHL Premier’s South Shore Kings, a situation that actually led to him making the move to Florida this year.
“My assistant coach Brian Jacque was one of my coaches last year at the South Shore Kings,” said Lindholm. “He moved teams to come down here and gave me the opportunity to come with. I actually knew eight guys coming into this year because they played for the South Shore Kings last year with me.”
Nearly two months into the 2020-21 season, Lindholm is enjoying the ride with the Jr. Blades.
“The first thing that appealed to me with the Jr. Blades was the coaching staff,” Lindholm said. “Knowing Coach Brian and meeting (head coach) Rob Weingartner over the summer made me really excited to come down here and be a part this organization. Coach Weingartner is a super smart coach that knows how to win championships. The second thing that interested me about the team was the facilities and location. We have professional facilities here, and southwest Florida is beautiful.
“The junior hockey landscape in Florida is pretty spread out. In our division, there are two other teams in Florida and the last two are in Atlanta and Charleston, which are both 10-hour bus rides. It is much different than last year. Being in the northeast, everything was less than five hours away.”
Lindholm grew up playing youth hockey for NCYH (Northern Colorado Youth Hockey) until his freshman year of high school. He then made the Resurrection Christian School high school hockey team coached by Jake Pence, a coach Lindholm said “really excelled my love for hockey.”
“I started playing hockey because my friends started it and I had to try it,” Lindholm said. “I fell in love with the game, and the rest is history.”
One of the top-scoring defensemen in the USPHL this year, Lindholm has his eyes on advancing up the ladder.
“Some short-term goals I have are to get a D-III offer I love, lead USPHL defensemen in points, and win a national championship,” said Lindholm. “Some long-term goals I have are to get a Bachelor’s degree, win a D-III national championship, and play hockey as long as I can.”
— Matt Mackinder
(Nov. 20, 2020)