Lightning cuts and Syracuse Crunch gains as seasons approach

The season creeps closer for not just the Tampa Bay Lightning but for the Syracuse Crunch as well, and this gets illustrated by this afternoons roster reduction by the Lightning. The club announced that 24 players have been cut from the preseason roster. In fact, seven of those 24 players hit the waiver wire in order to be re-assigned.

Of note are the waiver needs for seven players reduced from the training camp roster, meaning they'll have to pass through waivers in order to be sent to the Syracuse Crunch or perhaps the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. The most notable of the group is Tanner Richard, who has drew attention during the 2015-16 AHL season with his 11 goals and 43 assists in 71 games played with the Crunch. He has never played at the NHL level in his three full seasons in professional hockey. He made his pro debut in 2012-13 with eight games played with Syracuse, notching 3 assists during that stint.

Also placed on waivers along with Richard are forwards Tye McGinn, Michael Bournival, Mike Halmo, Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond, Jeremy Morin and defenseman Matt Taormina.

The full press release from the Lightning of roster cuts (and there are more noteworthy ones than just the above seven) is below.

LIGHTNING REDUCE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY 24

TAMPA BAY -€” The Tampa Bay Lightning have reduced their training camp roster by 24 today, vice president and general manager Steve Yzerman announced. The Lightning now have 28 players remaining in their 2016 training camp.

Below is a list of players cut as well as where they have been assigned:

	FORWARDS (14)
No.	Name	HT	WT	DOB	Born	Acquired	Assigned To
15	BOURNIVAL, Michael	5-11	194	5/31/1992	Shawinigan, Quebec	FA (7/1/16)	Syracuse (AHL)
37	DARCY, Cameron	6'0	183	3/2/1994	South Boston, Massachusetts	'14 Draft (7th Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
73	ERNE, Adam	6'0	210	4/20/1995	New Haven, Connecticut	'13 Draft (2nd Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
65	GOURDE, Yanni	5-9	167	12/15/1991	Quebec City, Quebec	FA (3/9/14)	Syracuse (AHL)
49	HALMO, Mike	5-10	205	5/15/1991	Kitchener, Ontario	FA (7/9/16)	Syracuse (AHL)
39	HART, Brian	6'2	214	11/25/1993	Cumberland, Maine	'12 Draft (2nd Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
57	IKONEN, Henri	6-0	182	4/17/1994	Savonlinna, Finland	13 Draft (6th Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
53	LETOURNEAU-LEBLOND, Pierre	6-1	210	6/4/1985	Levis, Quebec	FA (7/1/16)	Syracuse (AHL)
44	McGINN, Tye	6-3	205	7/29/1990	Fergus, Ontario	FA (7/21/15)	Syracuse (AHL)
33	MORIN, Jeremy	6-1	189	4/16/1991	Auburn, New York	FA (7/1/16)	Syracuse (AHL)
63	PECA, Matthew	5-8	155	4/27/1993	Petawawa, Ontario	11 Draft (7th Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
38	RICHARD, Tanner	6-0	176	4/6/1993	Markham, Ontario	12 Draft (3rd Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
67	STEPHENS, Mitchell	5'11	188	2/5/1997	Peterborough, Ontario	'15 Draft (2nd Rd)	Saginaw (OHL)
47	TAMMELA, Jonne	5'10	180	8/5/1997	Ylivieska, Finland	'15 Draft (4th Rd)	Peterborough (OHL)
	DEFENSEMAN (8)
No.	Name	HT	WT	DOB	Born	Acquired	Assigned To
72	BLUJUS, Dylan	6-3	202	1/22/1994	Buffalo, New York	12 Draft (2nd Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
45	COMRIE, Adam	6-4	219	7/31/1990	Ottawa, Ontario	INVITEE	Syracuse (AHL)
59	DOTCHIN, Jake	6-3	212	3/24/1994	Cambridge, Ontario	12 Draft (6th Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
74	MASIN, Dominik	6'1	192	2/1/1996	Mestec Kralove, Czech Rep.	'14 Draft (2nd Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
20	TAORMINA, Matt	5-10	182	10/20/86	Warren, Michigan	FA (7/1/15)	Syracuse (AHL)
56	THOMAS, Ben	6'2	184	5/28/1996	Calgary, Alberta	'14 Draft (4th Rd)	Syracuse (AHL)
75	WALCOTT, Daniel	5'11	165	2/19/1994	Ile Perrot, Quebec	Trade from NYR	Syracuse (AHL)
21	WISNIEWSKI, James	5-11	203	2/21/1984	Canton, Michigan	INVITEE	Released from Tryout
	GOALTENDERS (2)
No.	Name	HT	WT	DOB	Born	Acquired	Assigned To
35	RIOPEL, Nicola	6-0	185	2/20/1989	Beloeil, Quebec	INVITEE	Syracuse (AHL)
32	WILCOX, Adam	6'0	171	11/26/1992	South St. Paul, Minnesota	'11 Draft (6th Rd)

Syracuse (AHL)