The Tampa Bay Lightning’s seventh-round pick in 2024 justified their faith in him as he propelled his team to within one game of a Memorial Cup. Can he carry that success forward as he embarks on his professional career?
| Name | Harrison Meneghin |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Age (as of October 1) | 21 |
| Height/Weight | 6’4″, 174 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Syracuse Crunch/ Orlando Solar Bears |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2024, 7th Round (206) |
| Previous Rankings | Unranked |
| Justin G. Ranking | 16 |
| Final Rank | 15 |
Stats:
Our Thoughts:
From 2012 (when they drafted Andrei Vasilevskiy) until 2024 (when they drafted Harrison Meneghin) the Tampa Bay Lightning have used eight draft picks to select goaltenders. Their return from those eight players? Four appearances and two wins. Those eight players:
Kristers Gudlevskis (2013, 5th round) 3 games, 2-1-0, .959 SV%, 1.37 GAA
Kris Oldham (2015, 6th round) Never played for the Lightning
Connor Ingram (2016, 3rd round) Never played for the Lightning
Magnus Chrona (2018, 5th round) Never played for the Lightning
Ty Taylor (2018, 7th round) Never played for the Lightning
Hugo Alnefelt (2019, 3rd round) 1 game, 0-0-0, .700 SV%, 9.00 GAA
Amir Miftakhov (2020, 6th round) Never played for the Lightning
Nick Malik (2022, 5th round) Never played for the Lightning
Needless to say, goaltending hasn’t been a highlight of their development recently. Of course, when you have a generational netminder doing his thing, it’s not exactly a pressing concern. And to their credit, Ingram has turned into a solid NHL netminder while Chrona may finally be getting his chance in San Jose. Still, it hasn’t been a glowing success in net.
As Andrei Vasilevskiy heads toward the end of his contract, the concern level rises a bit. At some point, the Lightning are going to have to develop a NHL-ready goaltender. Perhaps, just maybe, they’ve found a candidate in Harrison Meneghin. The product of South Surrey, British Columbia skyrocketed up the rankings on the back of a phenomenal season with the Medicine Hat Tigers last year.
The recently-turned 21-year-old went 23-9-2 with a 2.56 GAA and .901 SV% in the regular season, and then got better in the playoffs. He posted a 14-1-0 record with a 2.35 GAA and .906 SV% as the Tigers were crowned the WHL playoff champions (and he picked up the MVP trophy in the process). The one loss unfortunately came against the London Knights in the Memorial Cup Final, denying Meneghin and his teammates the championship double, but it was still a fantastic run. He maintained all of that success despite having to also deal with the sudden passing of his father on the final day of the WHL regular season.
“Calm. Cool. Collected.” is how Craig Button described him, and that fits the Lightning prospect to a tee. As a young goaltender it is impressive to see how economical his movement is throughout the game. Younger netminders tend to rely on athleticism over technique, and it takes them awhile to settle their game down. Meneghin has shown that he has both. He is a lanky 6’4″ that can get from post-to-post with ease, but often doesn’t have to display his athletic talents because he’s usually in the right position to make the stop.
As with any young goaltender, there are things that need to be ironed out as he starts facing better shooters. He plays a little deep in his crease, which, thanks to his athleticism he can get away with. As with most netminders at his stage of development, his rebound control can improve as well. Working in training camp with Andrei Vasilevskiy, one of the best in the world at directing the puck off of his pads/blocker, should help with that.
The 21-year-old signed his entry-level contract last spring and will be given a chance to earn a spot on the Crunch this fall. He is off to a good start after putting in two strong showings at the rookie showcase. He’ll likely get at least a few periods of action in the preseason games before being assigned to the Crunch’s training camp.
While Brandon Halverson is going to be the undisputed number one in Syracuse this season, Meneghin should have a good shot at battling Ryan Fanti for the back-up spot. It is possible, though unlikely, that Syracuse carries three goaltenders. Still, even if he’s in Orlando to start the season, getting reps against professional opponents will be beneficial to his development.
Will he be the one to break the drafted goaltender drought in Tampa? It’s hard to say. Of all of the positions in hockey, goaltending remains the hardest to project. First-round picks still flame out, and undersized seventh-round picks rake in $50 million contracts (see Wolf, Dustin). Meneghin is showing the tools needed to be a NHL goaltender, but the next couple of years will be big for his development.
Highlight Videos:
You get both positives of Harrison Meneghin in this clip from the rookie showcase (prior to the goal). On the first save he flashes his athleticism and reaction time as he drops down to make a tough stop with his pad. Then he regroups and is in position to make the second stop.
This is such a nice save. He shuts off the near post on the initial rush, but still has the agility to drive across the ice with his pad flat on the ice to deny the shot under his leg. Often when a goaltender makes this move, the right pad lifts off the ice and there is room to stuff the puck under. He leaves absolutely nothing open for the shooter.
He goes post-to-post to make the initial save. Then, he is back up and in position to make the second save after an egregious turnover by his teammate. That’s pretty good focus for a goalie who just made a highlight-worthy save.
