Believe it or not, the Lightning’s prospect development camp is probably just over a month away. Usually it takes place just after the draft and with this season’s selections set to be made June 28th and 29th, Tampa Bay will likely host their youngsters sometime in early July. As always, there will be some non-drafted players invited that they might be interested in signing as free agents. One such name has popped up already as it’s being reported that Dartmouth center Luke Haymes has received an invitation.
Haymes, who turns 21 this July, has played at Darmouth the last two seasons and accumulated 52 points (29 goals, 23 assists) in 61 games. The 6’1″, 185-pound pivotman attended the Maple Leafs development camp last season before returning to school and putting up 18 goals and 18 assists. That goal total was good enough to put him second in the ECAC behind Colin Graf’s 22.
There was some speculation that he might sign a pro contract after Dartmouth’s season ended this spring, but it looks like he might head back to school for another season. By inviting him to development camp, the Lightning could get a head start on signing him after next season.
They likely noticed him while keeping an eye on 2021 draft pick Cooper Flinton, who was his linemate at the end of the season.
Other Hockey News
Vince Delmonte’s favorite photos from the season [NHL.com]
The Lightning’s photographer shares some of his favorite shots from the season. Overhead photos of the action in the crease never get old.
Sheldon Keefe to coach the Devils [All About the Jersey]
Sheldon Keefe is heading to New Jersey (by his own choice!) to be the new head coach of the Devils. Apparently, unemployment didn’t agree with the former Maple Leafs coach as he was out of work for only a few weeks. He signed a four-year deal with the Devils. Good for him.
Carolina allowing Don Waddell to meet with other teams [Pierre LeBrun Twitter]
The Hurricanes locked up their head coach after another playoff elimination, but it looks like their general manager may be filling out a change-of-address form. Waddell’s current contract is reportedly expiring at the end of the season and Carolina is letting other organizations chat with him about a new gig.
Gabriel Landeskog not planning on retiring [Mile High Hockey]
The Avalanche’s captain might have the knees of 5000 year-old Egyptian mummy, but he’s not done with hockey just yet. The Swedish forward hasn’t played since the 2022 Stanley Cup Final (I can’t remember how that turned out, but please don’t tell me) but was seen skating on the ice last season following a knee cartilage transplant. Hopefully, he can work his way back into the line-up next season.
US knocked out of World Championships by Czechs [IIHF]
Mikey Eyssimont’s hockey season is officially over as Team USA is eliminated in the quarterfinals by the Czechs. Pavel Zacha scored the lone goal in a 1-0 victory with Lukas Dostal stopping 36 shots. Other results:
Sweden 2, Finland 1 (OT)
Canada 6, Slovakia 3
Switzerland 3, Germany 1
Sweden will take on Czechia in the semi-final round with Canada facing Switzerland.
With that, Raw Charge is taking the weekend off and heading out to the mountains. Depending on cellphone coverage, we will update any breaking news over the weekend. If nothing happens, we’ll be back late on Monday to resume our off-season coverage. Enjoy the holiday weekend, folks!
