The Tampa Bay Lightning are not known for sporting the deepest of prospect pools, but they still have some exciting youngsters in their system. One of them is 2022 first-round pick Isaac Howard, and he is a player that Lightning fans should watch.

After his draft year, Howard appeared in 35 games for the University of Minnesota Duluth, posting six goals and 17 points. Overall, it was a decent start to his collegiate career, but he took a big step forward after transferring to Michigan State University this past campaign.

Howard showed off his offensive potential in a big way for Michigan State last season, recording eight goals and 36 points in 36 contests. Overall, it was a significant step in the right direction for Howard, and now he will look to build off it in 2024-25 from here.

Howard was also outstanding for Team USA during the 2024 World Junior Championships and was a significant reason for the club’s gold medal win. In seven games in the tournament, he posted seven goals and added two assists. In addition, he ended the tournament in a big way, scoring two goals in the final against Sweden.

Clearly, Howard is a skilled forward cementing himself as a top prospect in the sport. It will now be interesting to see what he does for an encore in 2024-25, but it is hard not to feel excited about him.