The Tampa Bay Lightning are the team of focus in today’s edition of the NHL prospect pool overview series.

Tony Ferrari will examine the Lightning’s strengths and weaknesses, briefly overview their latest draft class, where the team’s positional depth chart stands, and who could be next in line for an NHL chance.

A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for these exercises, except in very specific cases.

First Thoughts

The Tampa Bay Lightning are entering the post-Steven Stamkos era as the former captain who led them to two Stanley Cups was allowed to leave in free agency. As Tampa gets further from their Stanley Cup wins, they have started to pay the price for the trades they made to assert themselves as the league’s premier franchise for a time. Their prospect pool is underwhelming to say the least, they hardly ever draft in the first round and had it not been for acquiring Conor Geekie in the trade that sent Mikhail Sergachev to Utah, the Lightning would have just one prospect with the potential to be a difference maker unless something miraculous happens in development.

Geekie is a massive center that brings skill and physicality, dual-threat offense and a defensive game that benefits from his reach and reads in his own end. He played two games with the Tucson Roadrunners in the AHL playoffs last year but his true introduction to pro hockey will come in the fall when he competes for a spot on the Lightning roster. Although he is a bit of a longshot to make the NHL club out of camp, Geekie could bring some youthful energy to the lineup. Geekie’s development as a skater is encouraging but he will need to continue working on his mobility.

After a tough freshman season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Isaac Howard transferred to Michigan State and took off. Howard has always been a high-level complimentary player. He’s excelled internationally and with the NTDP because his offensive game is instinctual, always putting himself in a prime position to advance play. His shot is much better than his college goal totals would indicate, but it’s an area of his game that he has yet to unlock at the NCAA level. Another year with Michigan State will be good for Howard as they look to compete for a National Championship.

Isaac Howard with a vicious one-timer off a pass from Dorwart to make it a 4-1 Spartan lead in the second. pic.twitter.com/WrMJZa35d0

— Michigan State Hockey (@MSU_Hockey) February 25, 2024

After Geekie and Howard, the Lightning’s prospect pool begins to fall off. Jack Finley is a name of note, standing 6-foot-6 and improving in his two years at the AHL level. He plays a physical brand of hockey and puts in an honest effort every shift. He may never be a dynamic offensive presence but he could be a nice role player lower in the lineup.

Dylan Duke is such an interesting player because he isn’t a big forward at just 5-foot-10 but he does such a good job of getting to the net, providing a screen, and then finding pucks in the chaos. Duke has taken big strides in his three years at the University of Michigan, helping them to a Big Ten championship thanks to his dawg mentality and desire to win every battle he goes into. Duke is the kind of player that Tampa has found some success with, playing a high-energy game with some crafty offense low in the lineup.

The back end is an area of concern for Tampa. Eamon Powell is one of the more interesting names in the group but the 2020 fourth-round pick is heading back to Boston College for a fifth season, using his COVID exemption to stay in college an extra year. This will extend Tampa’s right to sign him, pushing the deadline to next summer. The BC Eagles captain was nearly a point-per-game player who was excellent at both ends of the ice in his senior year. At the end of the season, Powell should sign a deal with Tampa and join the AHL roster.

Although Roman Schmidt had a nice bounce back when he was moved to Kingston partway through last season, he remains a prospect. The hulking defender is best in his own zone, killing play and looking to make the simple play to get the puck out of trouble. Schmidt can absolutely blow up an attacker but he isn’t the most fleet of foot so when he chases those hits, he can leave himself behind the play. He will join the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL to start this season but could even see some ECHL time if things don’t go well.

With Andrei Vasilevskiy entrenched in the Tampa net, there’s no rush for a goalie of the future but Hugo Alnefelt could eventually be the long-term answer at the backup spot. He has had some ups and downs at the AHL level but he shows plenty of promise. At 23 years old, his time is coming and we could see him get some NHL games soon.

2024 NHL Draft Class

Round 4, 118th overall – Jan Golicic, LD, Gatineau (QMJHL)

Round 4, 128th overall – Hagen Burrows, RW, Minnetonka (USHS-Minn.)

Round 5, 149th overall – Joona Saarelainen, C, KalPa (Fin.-Jr)

Round 6, 181st overall – Kaden Pitre, C, Flint (OHL)

Round 7, 195th overall – Joe Connor, LW, Muskegon (USHL)

Round 7, 199th overall – Noah Steen, LW, Mora (Swe-1)

Round 7, 206th overall – Harrison Meneghin, G, Lethbridge (WHL)

The Lightning are used to not having first-round draft picks, selecting in the opening round just twice since 2018 but Tampa didn’t have a pick in the first three rounds of the draft this year. Despite making seven picks in total, they didn’t make their first selection until the 118th pick when they drafted Jan Golicic out of the QMJHL. The 6-foot-6 defender is a defensive specialist who uses his reach to dislodge the puck on the rush and his size to eliminate players along the boards. His upside isn’t tremendous when it comes to his offensive game, capable of playing a simple game and lacking any dynamism, but his defensive game is a nice addition to the pipeline.

By getting Hagen Burrows with their second fourth-round pick, they are taking a swing on a player who brought some interesting upside as a great shooter and crafty passer. His mobility is a bit concerning at this level and it was particularly noticeable at the USHL level when he played with Sioux City. If he can work on his skating, it should increase his elusiveness and escapability which could make him a solid prospect. He will head to the University of Denver in the fall.

Swinging on a high-pace, two-way forward who played well internationally by taking Joona Saarelainen in the fifth round makes a lot of sense for the Lightning. He is undersized at just 5-foot-9 but he plays with the kind of energy that helps make up for it. Saarelainen gets his feet moving lightning quick, upping the pace, and his playmaking is particularly impressive as he flies through the neutral zone. This is where he brings offensive value.

Here’s a look at the goal from Joona Saarelainen yesterday against Canada. He gets the tip in front of the net on the power play. That’s his 3rd goal of the tournament! ⚡️#GoBoltspic.twitter.com/8vJRrylTu8

— Future Bolts (@LightningProsp1) August 4, 2024

Kaden Pitre only played in 35 games this year due to injury but his physicality and mobility allowed him to show off a good defensive game in the first half of his season. His offensive game is fairly simple but it’s been effective. Pitre makes good reads on both sides of the puck and could project as a solid bottom-six player.

The Lightning had three picks in the seventh round, starting with Joe Connor, an overage winger who played in the USHL and is heading to Northeastern University in the fall. Connor is a hustle player who is always looking to use his straight-line speed to get to pucks. He can get good shots off on the rush and finish from the slot but he lacks some dynamism as a puck carrier.

Noah Steen put his name on the map as one of Norway’s best players at the WJC and then looked like a very solid contributor for the nation once again at the World Championship. Steen isn’t necessarily a flashy player and he doesn’t pop off the screen when you watch him, but he always seemed to find ways to be effective with one-touch passes or solid finishing ability in tight. He is a very good complimentary scorer who isn’t going to ask for the puck on his stick until it’s time to score.

Finishing off the draft by taking Harrison Meneghin, a netminder from the WHL, was tidy business as the Lightning certainly need some depth in the pipeline in goal. Meneghin was a workhorse for the Lethbridge Hurricanes, playing 53 games this past season. He’s never really been on the radar for NHL teams in recent years but the soon-to-be 20-year-old has some time to develop with Tampa over the next few years now.

Strengths

To be honest, the Lightning don’t really have a strength. Geekie and Finley down the middle might be the closest thing they have to a strength. If you group in Howard and Duke on the wing, there could be justification for saying their forward group is the strength. At the end of the day, the Bolts have a few solid prospects in a pool full of underwhelming talent.

Weaknesses

While there was no clear strength, there is a clear weakness – the backend. There is a fairly good chance that the Lightning do not have a single defenseman in their pipeline that makes the NHL with any sort of regularity. Powell is heading back to school for a fifth season and there’s no guarantee that the Lightning sign him after that. Schmidt is big and physical but he lacks the refinement with the puck to play more than a depth role. Tampa doesn’t have much on the blueline.

Next Man Up: Conor Geekie, C

As has been the theme throughout this exercise of diving into the Tampa Bay prospect pool, Geekie is once again the center of attention. He will be in contention to make the roster out of camp and his size, physicality and skill could be a nice jolt to the middle six. Geekie’s biggest concern will be keeping up with the pace of the NHL but if he can, he should be a nice addition to the lineup. Geekie has top-six center potential but could easily find himself starting on the wing or playing lower in the lineup.

9️⃣9️⃣ points for Conor Geekie pic.twitter.com/bBo48srLBE

— PHNX Hockey (@PHNX_Hockey) March 24, 2024

Prospect Depth Chart Notables

LW: Isaac Howard, Dylan Duke, Gabriel Fortier, Jaydon Dureau, Noah Steen

C: Conor Geekie, Jack Finley, Lukas Svejkovsky, Gabriel Szturc, Jayson Shaugabay

RW: Maxim Groshev, Lucas Edmonds, Niko Huuhtanen, Hagen Burrows

LD: Declan Carlile, Jan Golicic

RD: Eamon Powell, Roman Schmidt, Dyllan Gill,

G: Hugo Alnefelt, Harrison Meneghin