The National Hockey League officially announced the order of selections for next week’s Entry Draft in Sunrise, Florida.
The Tampa Bay Lightning — due to some creative maneuvering by GM Steve Yzerman — hold 9 selections in the draft:
Round 1 (#28, from New York Rangers)
Round 2 (#44, from Boston Bruins)
Round 3 (#64, from Edmonton Oilers via Anaheim Ducks)
Round 4 (#118, from Anaheim Ducks)
Round 4 (#120)
Round 5 (#150)
Round 6 (#153, from Arizona Coyotes)
Round 6 (#180)
Round 7 (#208, from Anaheim Ducks)
The Lightning hold just three picks that originally belonged to them, in the 4th, 5th, and 6th rounds. The other picks were acquired via various moves made in the past 18 months.
The pair of picks in the 4th round, and less so the pair in the 6th, look like opportunities for Tampa Bay to move up a few spots in earlier rounds if they see someone they like still on the board and don’t want to risk losing them. The Lightning moved both up (Brayden Point, Cameron Darcy) and down (the pick that became Joshua Ho-Sang) at last year’s draft, and acquiring extra late picks gives Yzerman and director of amateur scouting Al Murray the ammunition to do again if they so choose.
In what year do you expect the Tampa Bay Lightning to draft their first ever Florida-born player during the NHL entry draft?
| 2015 | 9 |
| 2016 | 8 |
| 2017 | 15 |
| 2018 | 33 |
| 2019 | 28 |
| 2020 | 38 |
| 2021 or later | 119 |
