Good morning! We just wanted to put up a quick post to thank everyone for your support over the years. We really appreciate everyone that stops by to read, comment, or donate. Heck, even if you’re reading because you hate every word we’ve ever written, we appreciate you.
We also wanted to extend our thanks to one particular aspect of the Tampa Bay Lightning that might get overlooked – the professional scouts. Over the years, the Lightning’s amateur scouting staff has received a lot of praise, and rightfully so as they’ve found some quality players despite not having the best picks to work with.
While the amateur scouts have done an excellent job, there is a separate group of folks in the organization that have had a big impact on the post-Stanley Cup rosters, especially this season’s. Being able to find players in other organizations, and sometimes other leagues, that will gel with the Lightning’s playing style and culture isn’t an easy thing. Just because a player has success playing for Team A, it doesn’t mean they will with Team B.
If we look at some of the players that have stepped up in lieu of the rash of injuries, a lot of them have been brought in from elsewhere. Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Curtis Douglas, and Steven Santini were all signed or claimed from other organizations. Just think of all of the regulars have been brought in via trades or signings like J.J. Moser, Emil Lilleberg, Pontus Holmberg, Nick Paul, and Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel.
While the core of the Lightning still relies heavily on drafted and developed players, being able to add from outside the organization has helped this team stay competitive. Have their been some stumbles? Sure, but for the most part things have worked out.
According to the team’s website those professional scouts are:
Stephen Gionta, Gerry O’Flaherty, Mike Blunden, Brian Putnam, Wyatt Smith, and Micki Dupont. European scouts are Mikael Andersson, Tobias Johansson, Kari Kettunen, Anton Routa, and Yuri Yanchenkov. Jared Walmon is their goaltending scout.
Thank you to them, and everyone else in the organization!
