It begins! The annual ranking of Tampa Bay Lightning prospects under the age of 25 is here. Things start off with a newcomer – Kaden Pitre.
| Name | Kaden Pitre |
| Position | Center |
| Age (as of October 1) | 19 |
| Height/Weight | 6’0″, 185 lb. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Flint Firebirds (OHL) |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2024 6th round (181 overall) |
| Previous Rankings | Unranked |
| Writer’s Ranking | 25 |
| Justin G.’s Ranking | 17 |
Stats:
Our Thoughts:
The most important stat from Kaden Pitre’s 2024-25 season was games played. After a 2023-24 season interrupted by injury, the Flint Firebird put together a solid year to lead his OHL team with 53 points. Another season in junior hockey could be followed up with an invite to the Syracuse Crunch in the spring for the 2024 sixth-round pick.
Like so many other forwards in the system, Pitre is defined by his ability to play at both ends of the ice. At this point in his career, the defensive aspect is a little ahead of the offense, but has produced at almost a point-per-game pace over the last two seasons. It’s unlikely that he’s going to evolve into a high-end scorer in the professional leagues, but he does project to being a serviceable bottom-six forward that can also kill penalties.
While he’s not the biggest player on the ice, Pitre doesn’t shy away from contact, and is more than willing to engage and finish off hits all over the ice. The 19-year-old is a high-energy player that is in constant motion when he’s on the ice, and unlike a lot of other lower-round picks, his skating is perfectly acceptable at his age.
While watching his highlights, he plays with a really high-level of awareness on the ice. Pitre grades out fairly well in the hockey IQ department and it’s apparent on some of his goals. He has the ability to get to soft areas in front of the net, and while his shot doesn’t seem overly impressive, it beats goaltenders. It’s possible that as he advances, the better netminders stop some of these shots, but he seems to be the type of player that will generate more than his fair share of chances.
The goals for this season will be to improve his consistency on the ice and continue to stay healthy. With the Lightning’s depth as thin as it is throughout the organization, a strong season could vault him up the rankings pretty quickly.
Your Thoughts:
While there weren’t any direct comments about Pitre, a lot of the voters shared similar thoughts about the depth of the organization:
“Outside of the top-10 it was pretty arbitrary”
“Bottom 15 was a crapshoot”
Highlight Videos:
On first look there isn’t a lot to see from this goal. He just drifts into the slot and beats the goalie cleanly. What we like about it is the patience. He has a chance to shoot a little earlier, but holds onto the puck, which gives him a little more separation from the defender.
This highlight showcases his skating a little. He isn’t blazing down the ice, but he makes a really nice move in his own zone to elude two defenders. The pass in the neutral zone could have been a little crisper but it works out just fine for him and he finishes it off with a really clean shot off the rush.
There is nothing fancy on this goal, but scrolling through his highlights there are a few like this. Pitre has a knack for getting lost on the ice and putting himself in a scoring position. It’s a nice tap-in goal, but he floated to the empty spot and gave his teammate a nice target.
