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It’s time for Daily Faceoff’s third annual NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown, looking at the best all 32 teams have to offer. We’re highlighting the top 10 prospects for every franchise, their biggest strengths and weaknesses and so much more.

The criteria for being labeled a “prospect” are simple: players generally have to have played in 50 or fewer NHL games or spent more time outside of the NHL than in it last year. Players over 23 years old are not included. Goaltenders are a bit more subjective, but they need to be 25 or under, have played under 15 games in the past season or have not spent significant time in the NHL as a whole over a three-year period.

Today, we’re breaking down the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Look. If you’re a Lightning fan, you already know this. I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you.

The Bolts have one of the worst pipelines in the NHL. That’s what happens when your focus is all on winning in the present. It’s been a few years since our last Stanley Cup, but you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who wouldn’t be thrilled with the team’s play over the last decade as a whole. The comedown is going to be ugly, and it might be a very long time for the Bolts to fully rebuild the team. But that’s a concern for another day.

The biggest news of the offseason was when Tampa Bay traded Ike Howard to the Edmonton Oilers to acquire Sam O’Reilly. Howard had already told the team he was not going to play for them, so they went out and got someone who could at least be a decent middle-six addition. Howard’s offensive stylings would have been perfect for the top six, but alas.

There’s a very good chance we won’t see a single player in this pipeline become a full-time NHLer this year. The real question, though, is how many will actually become NHLers at any point, period.

Biggest Strength

While I’m not sure how many of them will become NHL players, I do like their depth down the middle. O’Reilly is the obvious draw there, but Benjamin Rautiainen, Jayson Shaugabay, Jack Finley and Joona Saarelainen are all interesting. We could see a few move to the wing, of course, but if there’s one position to load up on, it’s center.

Biggest Weakness

The easy answer? The entire pipeline. The reality is, there’s just not much going for them at this point. I like O’Reilly, Ethan Gauthier and Ethan Czata. But we’re not talking about many impact players at any position here. The blue line doesn’t look good. The goaltending is a bit of a mess. I just don’t think we’re gonna see many of these players have NHL careers. I want to be wrong on this, and if there’s any team that can prove me wrong, it’s Tampa Bay. But at this point, I don’t feel feel good about the overall depth.

Fast Facts:
NHL GM: Julian BriseBois
Dir. of Amateur Scouting: Rick Pracey
Senior Dir. of Player Development: Kalle Larsson
AHL Affiliate: Syracuse Crunch
ECHL Affiliate: Fort Wayne Komets

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

*Ethan Gauthier (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

1. Sam O’Reilly, C, 19 (London Knights, OHL)

Acquired: Traded by the Edmonton Oilers in 2025

Howard might end up becoming the more productive player. But I wouldn’t be surprised if O’Reilly becomes the better player, period. The London Knights forward is more of an all-around two-way threat. I think he’s going to be a very good two-way center who loves having the puck on his stick and is very difficult to take the puck off of – something OHL defenders have struggled to do over the past few years. His toolsy nature makes him valuable in a lineup, and the Bolts seem to love guys who can do a little bit of everything all throughout the lineup. I hope to see him play big minutes with Easton Cowan and Denver Barkey moving on to pro hockey

2. Ethan Gauthier, RW, 20 (Syracuse Crunch, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 37th overall, second round in 2023

Gauthier was a consistent producer throughout his four-year QMJHL career, which included a career-best of 36 goals and 71 points in 2023-24. He missed some time this past year – otherwise, 75 points was on the table. Gauthier has shown flashes of brilliance with the puck, but he has always felt like more of a hard-working, bottom-six forward. At best, he could be a complementary winger who does the dirty work for someone a bit more skilled. Either way, he plays with a lot of muscle, but does so without getting himself in trouble often. I think he’ll have a decent pro career, but I also hope he can add another level to his offensive game in the AHL.

3. Ethan Czata, C, 18 (Niagara IceDogs, OHL)

Acquired: Drafted 52nd overall, second round in 2025

Czata started the year with a disappointing showing at the Hlinka Gretzky, but he showed he could be equally dangerous as a shooter and a passer in the OHL. He’s a good two-way forward who can play many different situations, but I think he’ll be used more in a bottom-six role. He put up good numbers this year, but I’d like to see him add more finesse and deception into his game next season. I do think Czata will be an NHLer one day, though.

4. Dylan Duke, LW, 22 (Syracuse Crunch, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 126th overall, fourth round in 2021

It’s one thing to be a college standout. It’s another to continue that heat once you turn pro. Duke had a solid 20-goal, 40-point season with Syracuse and even scored in his NHL debut against the Detroit Red Wings back in February. I love how tenacious he can be despite being just 5-foot-10. I still think his lack of high-end pace will hold him back from being a truly effective undersized forward, but there isn’t much to dislike about his development so far. I think at best we’re talking about a third-line forward, but I like his odds of living up to that.

5. Niko Huuhtanen, RW, 22 (Syracuse Crunch, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 224th overall, seventh round in 2021

Huuhtanen’s progression has been fascinating over the past few years. A seventh-round pick in 2021, he managed to put up 76 points over two seasons with Kukurit in the top Finnish league – some incredible numbers for a U-22 player. He made the move over to North America last year, but struggled to generate offense. I liked how physical he remained but he struggled to generate much on the scoresheet, and his lack of pace was amplified compared to his time back home. I still like Huuhtanen as a power forward, but he’ll need to get that confidence back.

6. Benjamin Rautiainen, C, 20 (Tappara, Liiga)

Acquired: Drafted 108th overall, fourth round in 2025

*Benjamin Rautiainen (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

Rautiainen turned some heads for Finland at the recent World Juniors, which is partly why I think he was drafted this year. He had four points in seven games, but it was his offensive reads and speed that really stood out. He isn’t a play driver, but he’ll chase you down all game long to try and get the puck back and can be a general nuisance. Rautiainen isn’t big or particularly strong, but he makes up for it with good hockey IQ. Some scouts wonder if he had a good tournament solely because he’s a 19-year-old – and it’s a fair argument, given Rautiainen isn’t a standout prospect in any particular category. But he at least made himself noticeable without the puck, which is a good thing. He’s a bit of a long-term project, but I like him.

7. Connor Kurth, RW, 22 (Syracuse Crunch, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 192nd overall, sixth round in 2022

Kurth had a quiet start to his career at the University of Minnesota, kicking things off with two modest seasons. But he broke out as a junior, recording 18 goals and 39 points in 40 games this year. While he was primarily known as an energy and depth scorer during his rookie season, he became a more refined and dangerous player this year. Kurth plays with tremendous power, frequently laying out hits and winning battles along the boards. He’s also got solid hands, which he showcases in tight spaces, earning him a lot of success in the process. While it’s uncertain whether he’ll develop into a long-term offensive threat for the Lightning, he’s poised to be a decent depth piece.

8. Jayson Shaugabay, C, 20 (University of Minnesota-Duluth, NCAA)

Acquired: Drafted 115th overall, fourth round in 2023

I wasn’t a huge fan of Shaugabay’s game heading into his first year of college, but I really liked what I saw. He scored a solid 12 goals and 26 points in 36 games, albeit while shying away from most physical contact. Still, he does a good job of driving to the middle of the net, creating quality scoring chances and picking up rebounds. I like his speed and energy, too. If Shaugabay is going to have an NHL career, he’ll need to work on his physicality because he’s still far too easy to steal the puck from. But he’s got plenty of time at UMD to figure it out.

9. Jack Finley, C, 22 (Syracuse Crunch, AHL)

Acquired: Drafted 57th overall, second round in 2020

At 6-foot-6 and 223 pounds, it’s easy to understand Finley’s appeal. He is a big, mean forward who isn’t afraid to get in the way of shots and take lanes away. Finley had a solid year overall, but missed about 32 games due to injury. He made his NHL debut with the Bolts, which was also good to see. I don’t think he’ll be anything more than a fourth-liner, but he’ll need to work on his overall pace and footwork to get himself into the long-term conversation.

10. Joona Saarelainen, C, 19 (KalPa, Liiga)

Acquired: Drafted 149th overall, fifth round in 2024

*Joona Saarelainen (Steven Ellis/The Nation Network)*

Yes, I know he’s small. There’s very little playing in Saarelainen’s favor. But yet, I still like him. I love how quick he is and how he utilizes that to generate offense. We’ve seen him thrive internationally, and he was especially impressive in open space at the recent World Junior Summer Showcase. He needs to work on his consistency, but he does seem stronger than he was in his draft year and he has the pure skill to cause some damage. Saarelainen is definitely a long shot, but I’m not giving up on him.

The rest: Lucas Mercuri, C (23), Milo Roelens, C (22), Gabriel Szturc, C (22), Maxim Groshev, RW (23), Cooper Flinton, LW (21), Aiden Foster, RW (18), Roman Luttsev, C (19), Marco Mignosa, RW (20), Hagen Burrows, RW (19), Kaden Pitre, C (19), Noah Steen, LW (20), Jack Harvey, LW (22), Klavs Veinbergs, LW (22), Warren Clark, RHD (20), Jan Golicic, LHD (19), Grant Spada, LHD (18), Everett Baldwin, RHD (19), Roman Schmidt, RHD (22), Dyllan Gill, RHD (21), Harrison Meneghin, G (20), Caleb Heil, G (19)

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