The Norwegian defenseman is currently out of the line-up with an injury, but will give the Tampa Bay Lightning a physical boost once he’s back.
| Name | Emil Lilleberg |
| Position | Defense |
| Age (as of October 1) | 24 |
| Height/Weight | 6’2″, 216 lbs |
| Expected 2025-26 Team | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2021 4th Round (107) by Arizona |
| Previous Rankings | 4 (2024), 13 (2023) |
| JustinG.’s Ranking | 6 |
| Final Rank | 3 |
Stats:
Our Thoughts:
The 30,000-foot view of Emil Lilleberg as a prospect is that he is a solid defender that plays a physical game and has a few flaws that he may or may not develop out of as his experience grows. After debuting with the Lightning in the 2023-24 season, he became a permanent fixture in the 2024-25 season averaging over 15 minutes a night on the ice.
For a lack of a better way of putting it, offense slows when Lilleberg is on the ice. On one hand, that’s not a bad thing. He is solid in his zone in regard to defending the net. That is what he is paid to do. In the offensive zone, well he just doesn’t have much of a positive impact on the game for the Lightning. Considering any offense from him would be a bonus, that’s not a bad thing.
Not every player has to do everything on the ice in order to be a valuable asset for his team. The 24-year-old defenseman is a perfect example of that. The Lightning don’t need him to be Bobby Orr. They just need him to be what he is developing into, a physical, stay-at-home defender that pushes things to neutral when he’s on the ice.
He’s got the physical part down already. He threw 114 hits on the season and his 6.74 hits/60 trailed only Erik Cernak among regular defensemen. The 6’2″, solidly-built blueliner isn’t afraid to punish someone on open ice or along the boards.
Is it a coincidence that opponents preferred not to carry the puck into the zone against him last season? To an extent, no, but they also knew that one of his struggles was retrieving the puck and clearing it cleanly. With his perchance for stepping up and trying to make a hit at the blue line, he could be exposed a bit on dump-ins and forechecks.
That’s part of developing as a rookie defender. Being able to read the rush and know when to step up and make the hit while also calculating the correct angle that isn’t going to lead to getting turnstiled comes with experience. Defenders that can make that adjustment stay in the league and make money. Those that don’t bounce between organizations and the leagues.
Early returns between last season and this season show that Lilleberg was getting better at retrieving the puck and getting it out cleanly on dump-ins. He’s handling pressure better and not turning the puck over in his own zone. One of the biggest developments in Lilleberg’s game from last year to this year is his ability to exit the zone with the puck.
As the chart shows, Lilleberg didn’t carry or pass the puck out with any regularity during his rookie season. Usually, he left the exits to his defensive partner, or if he had to get it out off-the-glass-and-out was his style. Which, for a player adapting to the NHL, isn’t necessarily a bad strategy. The important thing is to clear the puck, and that’s what he did as a rookie. He is never going to be a dynamic breakout force, but for him to succeed in the Lightning’s grand scheme of things, he has to be at least average, which is where he was prior to his injury this season.
In the offensive zone, Lilleberg isn’t going to be much of a threat to score from distance. His shot is okay and he gets it on net. He can move the puck okay and tends to take the safe play of dumping it down low as opposed to risking a pass through a dangerous area. Again, that’s not a bad thing.
There isn’t a huge ceiling for Lilleberg, but he is developing into a solid third-pair defender. He does tend to take some bad penalties from time to time, usually in conjunction with being out of position, but that isn’t out of the ordinary for defensemen with limited NHL experience. As he works on being in the right spot and reading the play correctly, some of those penalties should disappear.
Your Thoughts:
It’s difficult to rank some of these prospects because players like Lilleberg and Goncalves have logged significant NHL time already and should be a main stay on the active roster – do they really count as prospects?
Lilleberg was a tough decision for me. Could have easily voted #1
Highlight Videos:
First career goals are always nice. Here Lilleberg is just looking to get it on net and doesn’t realize the time and space he has. Had he known, he might have stepping a little closer before letting the shot go. In the end, it doesn’t matter as it still finds the back of the net.
Not every highlight is a good one. Lilleberg has to find the line between physical and dirty. He’s flirted with it a few times in his young career, and here it’s just a bad hit.
Much like the first highlight, Lilleberg is just looking to get the puck on net. Here he does take the extra stride to change the angle a little. Not a bad little shot from him.
