It was a quick visit to the NHL for Declan Carlile and Sean Day as the Tampa Bay Lightning re-assigned them to Syracuse a day after recalling them. They’ll likely pass Jack Thompson and Emil Lilleberg in the airport or the friendly skies somewhere between Syracuse and Boston as the latter two were brought up from the Lightning’s AHL affiliate.
It’s the first recall for both defensemen. Thompson, 21, was the Lightning’s third-round pick in the 2020 draft while LIlleberg, 22, was signed as a free agent after the Arizona Coyotes, the team that drafted him in the 2021 draft, didn’t offer him a contract.
While Lilleberg has yet to play in a NHL game, he does have professional experience at a high level having played 93 games in the SHL with IK Oskarshamn. In Syracuse he has 12 points (1 goal, 11 assists) in 31 games. Despite not having any experience in the Lightning system, he debuted in the Top 25 Under 25 in the 13th spot. He plays a slightly more physical game than some of the other prospects in the system, and with his experience in the SHL, he should be able to acclimate pretty easily if he gets called into a game.
Thompson is one of, if not the top, defensive prospects that the Lightning have. He hit the 8th spot in last summer’s Top 25 Under 25 and has 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) in 103 games with the Crunch over two seasons (he also had a quick one game with the Crunch in 2020-21).
It appears the Lightning are set on rotating their prospects in and out while they wait for their veterans to heal. Not only do they get a chance to see how they perform at the NHL level, it also showcases some of their prospects to other teams that might be interested in swinging a trade with the Bolts.
The official press release:
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defensemen Jack Thompson and Emil Lilleberg from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League and re-assigned defensemen Sean Day and Declan Carlile to Syracuse, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Thompson, 21, leads all Crunch blueliners in assists (18), points (20) and power-play points (2-9—11) through 31 games this season. He also ranks second on the Crunch for shots on goal with 78. The 6-foot-1, 178-pound Thompson was selected by Tampa Bay, 93rd overall, in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft and is looking to make his NHL debut.
Lilleberg, 22, is in his first AHL season and ranks second among Crunch defensemen for scoring with one goal and 11 assists in 31 games this season. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound Lilleberg signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay on June 5, 2023. The Sarpsborg, Norway native was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes, 107th overall, in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Day, 25, ranks third among Crunch defensemen with eight assists and is tied for fourth with eight points in 17 games this season. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound defenseman has played in 240 career AHL games between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Syracuse Crunch, tallying 15 goals and 95 points. Day skated in two career NHL games, both with the Lightning in 2021-22, registering four hits, two blocks and one takeaway while averaging 10:43 time on ice.
Carlile, 23, made his NHL debut on Thursday night at Minnesota and rated plus-1 while logging a hit and two blocks in 11:27 time on ice. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Carlile ranks tied for first among Crunch defensemen with three goals and ranks third for scoring with nine points. Carlile signed with Tampa Bay on a two-year, entry-level contract on March 16, 2022 as a free agent out of Merrimack College.
