Prospect Info: The 2023 Lightning Development Camp (July 2nd - 5th)

[TheDaysOf 04]

Groshev has got a lot stronger as this day has gone on. A credit to his conditioning

 

[Felonious Python]

 

[Point21]

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Fun stuff. Glad I was able to watch today. Just some jumbled thoughts:

Merela is someone to keep a serious eye on. Again, a 3 on 3 summer game isn't the most serious or legit hockey competition. How do you really grade anyone on this? Results should be taken with a grain of sand. But I do think he showed well enough for us to envision the kind of player he is, and that he does realistically belong in a camp battle when the time rolls around. The next step for him is performing well in the prospect tournament in September before the main camp opens up.

Hugo Alnefelt and Nick Malik both had their moments, but Ludvig Persson was the most consistent goalie on ice. He looked like a guy playing for a contract. Unfortunately as a college kid, this is really it for him in front of the full staff. He's off to North Dakota so he doesn't get to join some of these other players for the prospect tournament, rookie camp, the main training camp, and the preseason. But good on him for not taking this opportunity for granted.

The Syracuse trio of Goncalves, Edmonds, and Usau all looked great. What a difference a year makes for Edmonds. I remember him struggling last September. Ben Groulx said after the prospect tournament that Edmonds would need time to adjust to the pace of the game, but predicted that he would get better as the season went on, and about half way through, Edmonds did indeed really start to heat up. With Usau, it's hard to believe he only scored 4 goals this past season for Syracuse. Hopefully this is the guy our scouts thought they were signing, because he can really shoot the puck. Like Edmonds, just keep making progress, take another step forward.

Dylan Duke was a thief out there. His brother Tyler looked like he belonged, but it's still really hard to imagine a 5'9" defenseman against nhl players in a real game setting.

Connor Kurth had some good moments earlier in the day. He played mostly 3rd line as a freshmen last year, so a day like today is good to see some of his offesive abilities come out. I would love to see Kurth get some more opportunities in his 2nd year with Minnesota like Duke did this past season with Michigan. The problem is Minnesota always reloads the talent they lose. Matthew Knies and Brock Faber turn pro, but they add 1st rounders Oliver Moore and Sam Rinzel.

Kind of a quiet day for both Isaac Howard and Ethan Gautheir. While they are the 2 highest drafted guys here, they are also still 2 of the youngest. Nothing to worry about, but I'm sure Howard is trying to prove himself. He's going to USA Hockey's summer evaluation camp next.

Lastly it was just nice to see Shaugabay and Harvey for the first time. I thought Shaugabay had one of the best assists the whole day, and Harvey was quite impressive as well. Al Murray said there was an effort made in the 2022 draft to have more skilled offensive players in the pipeline with Howard, Kurth, and Edmonds. Shaugabay and Harvey imo really add to that. Now we wait to see if their college careers go the right way. But I made this comment in the other thread that if the Lightning are going to add top 6 forwards, it has to come from within. Guys like Sheary and Glendening are nice pieces to plug holes, but you're not going to find or land a legit top 6 replacement in free agency. Now a lot of these guys are going to take some time, but if you can get a few of these skilled forwards to pan out, that would make a big difference in getting our depth back to where it needs to be. We've done it before, just need to do it again. But seeing some of these players today helps make me a little more optimistic.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

 

[Point21]

 

[Felonious Python]

Groshev has got a lot stronger as this day has gone on. A credit to his conditioning

Groshev has been skating with guys in Syracuse. He's not coming in cold.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

 

[Meuracas]

My mvps so far:

Best forward - Merela. To me he's looked the best so far. And in a sense, he should be as an older guy, has a few years of pro experience in the Liiga under his belt including a championship, and got to be with the mens national team for a little bit in the spring. If this is a player who we think should be competing for a spot in training camp, than yeah he should be a little more put together, a little more advanced than some of these other guys. Engblom has been a big fan so far. Said he was 6'2" but looks like he's 6'4." Made note that he has such long arms and protects the puck so well. Really well rounded.

Best defenseman - Powell. If I remember correctly Powell did really well in this little 3 on 3 action last summer. There's really only so much you can take out of a 3 on 3 scrimmage in july played on only 1 third of the ice, and as Engblom mentioned, this format doesn't favor all these guys strengths, but it does for Powell. Really really smooth skater, and great edge work. He has some nice puck skills as well. It's always curious why he doesn't have more points with BC. When he was drafted, that was one of the bigger questions about him. Murray thought playing for the talent crowded NTDP took some offensive opportunities/ice time away from him and that it would show more in college, but that hasn't exactly been the case in his first 2 seasons. Still plenty of time for him though to have the production match the skill.

Best goalie - Ludvig Persson. The invitee has hands down been the best goalie in what is not a goalie friendly game. Very impressive considering the guys you're judging him against are 2 drafted goalies playing professionally right now with Alnefelt and Malik.

Glad to hear Merelä’s adjusting fast - a friend who is a former Tappara junior player reached out when Merelä signed with us and said we’re gonna love him and that his game should be quite suitable for NHL hockey. Would be awesome if he makes the big team right away.

 

[Felonious Python]

These 3-on-3's should just be seen as a bit of fun. Usov did well last camp too, but only got 4 goals all season.

 

[Crunchrulz]

These 3-on-3's should just be seen as a bit of fun. Usov did well last camp too, but only got 4 goals all season.

He was a frequent scratch and when he did play, saw a lot of fourth line ice time. He had good shifts when he was dressed in consecutive games, and was quite the pest agasint other teams, especially drawing the ire of Geersten while playing Utica.

 

[Felonious Python]

www.nhl.com/lightning/video/live--3-on-3-tournament/t-277437434/c-40474603

 

[DistantThunderRep]

Groshev is looking good.

 

[These Are The Days]

Keep the Groshev updates coming. This poor guy had so much time wasted at SKA that we seriously have to take a year to develop him in Syracuse before he can be ready and I want to be hopeful he's better than advertised. With as much time as he had in Russia he should have been NHL ready but instead he straddled the bench

 

[I am Bettman]

How have the invites been? They’re mostly just filling spots, but I was wondering if any of them have looked like they fit in well with the prospects.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Lucas Edmonds

Last year’s third-round pick might not be far from the NHL. There’s no rush to bring up the 22-year-old, but a strong start this season at Syracuse could put him on the short list of forwards who could get promoted if reinforcements are needed.

This week, he might have been the best player on the ice.

Max Groshev

Though he came in as something of an unknown, people in the organization unquestionably were talking about Groshev by the end of the week after the strong impression he made.

Groshev blew the Lightning away with his testing scores in the weight room, and he showed he’s a strong skater who gets down the ice and into a play quickly, considering his size (6-feet-1, 192 pounds). There wasn’t much hitting this week, but you can tell Groshev has a physical game. He’s not afraid to drive into the high-traffic areas with or without the puck.

Ilya Usau

He still needs to develop his skating, but he has a knack for finding the front of the net and the skill to score from there. He has a strong shot with touch and plays bigger than his listed 6-fee-1, 183-pounds.

Eamon Powell

…there’s no doubt his skill stands out even among older and more-seasoned players. He can make plays in the offensive zone and has fast hands, good vision and a strong shot.

Jayson Shaugabay

…Shaugabay seemed to improve each day during drills and competition.

He was at his best during the 4-on-4 tournament, showing his speed and making plays with some fancy footwork.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

 

[neelynugs]

Lucas Edmonds




Max Groshev




Ilya Usau



Eamon Powell



Jayson Shaugabay

how would the top 10 prospect list look after development camp? i was a big usau fan when tampa drafted him, nice to see him show well after a disappointing statistical year.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

how would the top 10 prospect list look after development camp? i was a big usau fan when tampa drafted him, nice to see him show well after a disappointing statistical year.

This would be my personal rankings at the moment.

1. Isaac Howard / 1st rd - 2022
Even with a less than stellar freshmen year at Minnesota Duluth, he's still comfortably the Bolt's top prospect. His skill, shot, and speed combo stick out in a prospect pool full of guys that lack high end potential. He scored against plenty of college level programs as a 17-18 year old in the NTDP, so his stats as a 18-19 year old don't discourage me. But he knew what he was getting into with UMD's coaching staff and play style, so his transfer out to Michigan State is a little of what concerns me. He already has the offensive ability you can't teach, but what he needed to learn at UMD, was originally in his own words the very reason he committed. So as much as I'd like to see him fast track it to the NHL, if the rest of his game doesn't round out, it won't matter how good he is offensively. This is Coop's infamous "two nets" lesson for former 3rd overall pick Jonathan Drouin.

2. Ethan Gauthier / 2nd rd - 2023
In the words of Al Murray, he has the "whole package." Very different prospect from Howard in that Gauthier said that he wasn't really concerned about his numbers, but wanted to be the most complete player he could be. Gauthier seems like a guy that has soo many tools and lineup versatility, but probably lacks an elite ability in a single area. That said I think we'll be happy if everything comes together in the end. Excited to see what the future holds for him.

3. Lucas Edmonds / 3rd rd - 2023
The 1st half of last season was a struggle, but he seemed to turned a corner in February. He was the Crunch's most improved player of the year award recipient. The development camp scrimmages don't really effect how I view the prospects or how I would rank them, but for Edmonds it does give me a little more confidence that this is all something that will carry over into the beginning of the 2023-24 season. With Simon Ryfors gone, this also puts more weight on Edmond's shoulders to be a go-to guy for Syracuse. I think we'd all like to see him put himself in a position to be somebody who is knocking on the NHL door sooner rather than later.

4. Niko Huuhtanen / 7th rd - 2021
All in all it was a good season for Huuhtanen. Loved some of what he flashed at the World Juniors. Some things that stick out were his 2 points against eventual gold medalist Canada, some of his big boy hits against the US, and what should have been a game winner against Sweden before they blew that lead late in the 3rd. And then he went on to win Liiga rookie of the year. So really hard to ask more than that. He's still a work in progress but I think he's in a good place to keep developing in Jukurit with Olli Jokinen in charge. There is a diamond here if we can keep chiseling away.

5. Dylan Duke / 4th rd - 2021
He was a little underwhelming at the World Juniors imo, but otherwise had a great season on a powerhouse team at Michigan. Doesn't hurt having the game winner against what would be the National Runner ups Minnesota for the Big Ten Championship. The biggest question for Dylan Duke is how far will his size let him go? It's the thing that scared some teams off at the draft, but it is a legit concern for a 5'10" guy who eats, breathes, and lives around the blue paint. He's doing it right now at the collegiate level, but can he do it in the AHL? Can he do it at the NHL level? It's one of those things that you've got to see first. We want to make comparisons to Yanni Gourde, and everyone loves Gourde, but what makes Gourde special is how tough and scrappy he is. It's not easy to do what he does in the dirty areas of the ice. Still remains to be seen if this is something Duke can do too to be successful.

6. Cole Koepke / 6th rd - 2018
Really hard to place on this ranking with how differently his 2022 and 2023 seasons went. We got to see him a good amount in the NHL while Anthony Cirelli was out. His season highlight was probably an open ice hit he had against the Islanders that led to a Nick Paul buzzer beater back in October. Unfortuantely his offense went completely dry in the NHL. That's forgivable as a rookie. But when he went back to the AHL and it continued, that was more disappointing. Comparing his NHL rookie year to Boris Katchouk's rookie year, I really don't think his game was any worse, and Katchouk was able to find a way to carve out a 4th line role. Maybe it's a low bar, but we'll see where he lands this season in what is pretty much a prove it year.

7. Gage Goncalves / 2nd rd - 2021
I think he kinda got overshadowed this season a little by what Ryfors and Barre-Boulet were doing, but he had a good season statistically, and there's still plenty of promise for Goncalves. Maybe the development camp was a little bit of a reminder that he's got some moves. I'm not really sure where I see him in a future NHL lineup, but there's no reason to sour on him at this point.

8. Max Groshev / 3rd rd - 2020
Going back to the 2021 World Juniors, I still really liked what I saw. We'll get a better idea on what his offensive potential is this year, but regardless I do like everything else he has to offer. I wish things would have turned out differently the past 2 seasons with St. Petersburg. It seemed like he was primed for a better opportunity this year after his performance in the Sochi Hockey Open, but it just didn't happen, and with limited information it's hard to tell what contributed to those decisions. You just hope that whatever he missed out on in game experience, there was still plenty salvageable in working out, training, and practicing with professional players that will aid him this season in the AHL.

9. Gabriel Fortier / 2nd rd - 2018
I wouldn't say time's running out for Koepke or Fortier, but there is a real need for one of them to latch onto a spot with the Lightning before someone younger jumps them on the depth chart. I still like Fortier very much. It's hard to move past Coop's "you win with guys like Fortier" quote from a previous preseason. He's a coach's dream. Captain for Baie-Comeau, captain for Moncton, won the Crunch's heart and soul award this season. What he lacks in offense, hopefully he can make up for in intangibles.

10. Hugo Alnefelt / 3rd rd - 2019
I want to put him in the top 10 and I don't want to put him in the top 10. There was a stretch in December where it felt like Hugo would hit his stride, but consistency has been the biggest achilles heel for Alnefelt. You could say that for a lot of young goalies. We can afford to be patient, but I would like to see him finally grab Syracuse's starter role this season, especially with Legace moving out.

 

[neelynugs]

This would be my personal rankings at the moment.

1. Isaac Howard / 1st rd - 2022
Even with a less than stellar freshmen year at Minnesota Duluth, he's still comfortably the Bolt's top prospect. His skill, shot, and speed combo stick out in a prospect pool full of guys that lack high end potential. He scored against plenty of college level programs as a 17-18 year old in the NTDP, so his stats as a 18-19 year old don't discourage me. But he knew what he was getting into with UMD's coaching staff and play style, so his transfer out to Michigan State is a little of what concerns me. He already has the offensive ability you can't teach, but what he needed to learn at UMD, was originally in his own words the very reason he committed. So as much as I'd like to see him fast track it to the NHL, if the rest of his game doesn't round out, it won't matter how good he is offensively. This is Coop's infamous "two nets" lesson for former 3rd overall pick Jonathan Drouin.

2. Ethan Gauthier / 2nd rd - 2023
In the words of Al Murray, he has the "whole package." Very different prospect from Howard in that Gauthier said that he wasn't really concerned about his numbers, but wanted to be the most complete player he could be. Gauthier seems like a guy that has soo many tools and lineup versatility, but probably lacks an elite ability in a single area. That said I think we'll be happy if everything comes together in the end. Excited to see what the future holds for him.

3. Lucas Edmonds / 3rd rd - 2023
The 1st half of last season was a struggle, but he seemed to turned a corner in February. He was the Crunch's most improved player of the year award recipient. The development camp scrimmages don't really effect how I view the prospects or how I would rank them, but for Edmonds it does give me a little more confidence that this is all something that will carry over into the beginning of the 2023-24 season. With Simon Ryfors gone, this also puts more weight on Edmond's shoulders to be a go-to guy for Syracuse. I think we'd all like to see him put himself in a position to be somebody who is knocking on the NHL door sooner rather than later.

4. Niko Huuhtanen / 7th rd - 2021
All in all it was a good season for Huuhtanen. Loved some of what he flashed at the World Juniors. Some things that stick out were his 2 points against eventual gold medalist Canada, some of his big boy hits against the US, and what should have been a game winner against Sweden before they blew that lead late in the 3rd. And then he went on to win Liiga rookie of the year. So really hard to ask more than that. He's still a work in progress but I think he's in a good place to keep developing in Jukurit with Olli Jokinen in charge. There is a diamond here if we can keep chiseling away.

5. Dylan Duke / 4th rd - 2021
He was a little underwhelming at the World Juniors imo, but otherwise had a great season on a powerhouse team at Michigan. Doesn't hurt having the game winner against what would be the National Runner ups Minnesota for the Big Ten Championship. The biggest question for Dylan Duke is how far will his size let him go? It's the thing that scared some teams off at the draft, but it is a legit concern for a 5'10" guy who eats, breathes, and lives around the blue paint. He's doing it right now at the collegiate level, but can he do it in the AHL? Can he do it at the NHL level? It's one of those things that you've got to see first. We want to make comparisons to Yanni Gourde, and everyone loves Gourde, but what makes Gourde special is how tough and scrappy he is. It's not easy to do what he does in the dirty areas of the ice. Still remains to be seen if this is something Duke can do too to be successful.

6. Cole Koepke / 6th rd - 2018
Really hard to place on this ranking with how differently his 2022 and 2023 seasons went. We got to see him a good amount in the NHL while Anthony Cirelli was out. His season highlight was probably an open ice hit he had against the Islanders that led to a Nick Paul buzzer beater back in October. Unfortuantely his offense went completely dry in the NHL. That's forgivable as a rookie. But when he went back to the AHL and it continued, that was more disappointing. Comparing his NHL rookie year to Boris Katchouk's rookie year, I really don't think his game was any worse, and Katchouk was able to find a way to carve out a 4th line role. Maybe it's a low bar, but we'll see where he lands this season in what is pretty much a prove it year.

7. Gage Goncalves / 2nd rd - 2021
I think he kinda got overshadowed this season a little by what Ryfors and Barre-Boulet were doing, but he had a good season statistically, and there's still plenty of promise for Goncalves. Maybe the development camp was a little bit of a reminder that he's got some moves. I'm not really sure where I see him in a future NHL lineup, but there's no reason to sour on him at this point.

8. Max Groshev / 3rd rd - 2020
Going back to the 2021 World Juniors, I still really liked what I saw. We'll get a better idea on what his offensive potential is this year, but regardless I do like everything else he has to offer. I wish things would have turned out differently the past 2 seasons with St. Petersburg. It seemed like he was primed for a better opportunity this year after his performance in the Sochi Hockey Open, but it just didn't happen, and with limited information it's hard to tell what contributed to those decisions. You just hope that whatever he missed out on in game experience, there was still plenty salvageable in working out, training, and practicing with professional players that will aid him this season in the AHL.

9. Gabriel Fortier / 2nd rd - 2018
I wouldn't say time's running out for Koepke or Fortier, but there is a real need for one of them to latch onto a spot with the Lightning before someone younger jumps them on the depth chart. I still like Fortier very much. It's hard to move past Coop's "you with guys like Fortier" quote from a previous preseason. He's a coach's dream. Captain for Baie-Comeau, captain for Moncton, won the Crunch's heart and soul award this season. What he lacks in offense, hopefully he can make up for in intangibles.

10. Hugo Alnefelt / 3rd rd - 2019
I want to put him in the top 10 and I don't want to put him in the top 10. There was a stretch in December where it felt like Hugo would hit his stride, but consistency has been the biggest achilles heel for Alnefelt. You could say that for a lot of young goalies. We can afford to be patient, but I would like to see him finally grab Syracuse's starter role this season, especially with Legace moving out.

great stuff. what's your thoughts on jack thompson? seemed like a guy who was trending in the right direction.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

great stuff. what's your thoughts on jack thompson? seemed like a guy who was trending in the right direction.

I like Jack Thompson. He had a good first year in the AHL. When I saw him I thought he was solid in the World Juniors last August, solid in the prospect tournament last September, and then held his own in the preseason. Really good player in the offensive third of the ice and can run a power play. Needs to keep things simple and efficient in his own end. Rankings wise I would put him in the 11-15 range. Of all the defensive prospects we have, he’s one of the better ones, I just don’t know that he’s that much better than the rest of the bunch. It’s not as clear of a separation as a year ago it was for someone like Nick Perbix when he was a prospect. Thompson doesn’t have Eamon Powell’s skating or Roman Schmidt’s size and strength.

 

[JoernAZ]

Morning all!

Bluesfan coming in peace. That said, I am also norwegian and interested in how the camp went for Lilleberg?

As you most likely know we dont have many prospects to brag about, and we have to "take care" of the few we have. I am not expecting any major write-up, just some solid opinions.

 

[TheDaysOf 04]

Morning all!

Bluesfan coming in peace. That said, I am also norwegian and interested in how the camp went for Lilleberg?

As you most likely know we dont have many prospects to brag about, and we have to "take care" of the few we have. I am not expecting any major write-up, just some solid opinions.

Unfortunately there’s not much to say. Much like Roman Schmidt, Alex Gagne, and others, this 3 on 3, no physical contact scrimmage doesn’t really cater to a player like Lilleberg’s game or showcase his strengths. When he gets to play an actual hockey game for us at the prospect tournament, we’ll see a better representation of the player.