The Bolts
The Tampa Bay Lightning will still be at the NHL draft. They just won’t be picking in the first round. Speaking of, where do their picks lie and who might go in that range? Seldo answers your questions. [Raw Charge]
The 2018 NHL Draft is a few weeks away, and right now the Tampa Bay Lightning have seven picks to work with. What they don’t have (yet, anyway) is a first rounder, as that went to the Rangers in the trade for Ryan McDonagh and JT Miller.
So, we’ll begin in the second round, with the #59 pick.
Jessica Lynch, Kevin’s wife, broke the news that she had had a crazy week. From giving birth to a second daughter to her husband signing an NHL contract with the Lightning. Wait, back up, what was that last part?
The 27-year-old Syracuse Crunch forward has only ever had AHL only deals from the Lightning, so news that he’s earned one of the 50 NHL contract spots is very interesting. Hopefully this isn’t a case of people exaggerating for instagram — I mean, pfft, who does that? Not me. (Definitely me). — and Lynch has earned a contract with the potential for NHL money, we will have to wait and see when the press release comes out. [Cap Friendly]
Okay, wow. There is a lot going on here. First and foremost, where can I get one of those shirts?
It was nice to finally meet Alexey the founder of the Russian Tampa Bay Lightning Fan Club. Thanks for guitar 🎸 pic.twitter.com/zPjpHZi7jh
— Nikita Kucherov (@86Kucherov) June 6, 2018
Lightning-organized summer camp season is back! If you or your child is interested, make sure you sign up as soon as possible! Or not, I’m not your boss. [NHL dot com]
The Tampa Bay Lightning announced today that the Lightning Girls will host their second annual Summer Camp for girls ages 6-10 from July 16-20 at AMALIE Arena. The camp will focus primarily on dance, fitness and building a healthy lifestyle, along with additional activities led by current members from the Lightning Girls team.
The Prospects
The Lightning hope some last-minute information at the NHL Combine help the team draft some undervalued talent in the mid to later rounds, like Anthony Cirelli in 2015. [NHL dot com]
Finding those players that can develop into future NHL stars — like Cirelli — revolves partly around a prospect’s performance at the NHL Scouting Combine, both in the physical testing and the one-on-one interviews teams conduct. Roest, who, along with the rest of the Lightning’s hockey ops staff, just finished evaluating over 100 prospects and interviewing more than 30 during last week’s NHL Scouting Combine at HarborCenter in Buffalo, said this year’s draft class has size and variety.
Connor Ingram Tweet of the Day:
Sandstorm by Darude is the greatest song with no words ever created. Don’t @ me
— Connor Ingram (@CBIngram1) June 7, 2018
Wait! I kept scrolling and I found this gem instead. (My vote is on the former)
Older gentleman in the check out like hands me this, tells me to take my little one for a free picture. Not sure if this means I shop like I have a toddler or I look old enough for a kid. Either way I’m upset. pic.twitter.com/TzhvPBS1BK
— Connor Ingram (@CBIngram1) June 6, 2018
Who is in the Syracuse Crunch Hall of Fame? *immediately votes for Ingram* [Syracuse]
The Syracuse Crunch is planning a big celebration of its history in the 2018-19 season.
That’s when the team will take the ice for its landmark 25th anniversary year. Part of the fun will include the creation of a Syracuse hockey hall of fame. While that will be open to all eras of pro hockey in the town, it will understandably be geared toward important on- and off-ice contributors to the Crunch’s tenure.
The Game
Day two of the SBN Mock Draft unveil is underway. Picks 3-5 seemed very logical by our sister sites. But, knowing the Montral Canadiens and Ottawa Senators management, there’s no chance they follow suit. [Raw Charge]
The Sens picking Hughes isn’t a lock, and that would start the fun if they go in another direction. But in this scenario, the fun starts with the fifth pick. After the top four, most draft lists start to diverge. The Arizona Coyotes Crew at Five For Howling took winger Brady Tkachuk. That’s not an unexpected pick, but it does remove one of the more divisive players of the early first round from the board.
Where do the Montreal Canadiens need to upgrade the most? No, you can’t say everywhere. What about center? Well, Habs Eyes on the Prize doesn’t think so. [Habs Eyes on the Prize]
The Canadiens have gone to two Eastern Conference Finals with Tomas Plekanec and Scott Gomez or David Desharnais as their top centres. The team has shown they can win — even in the playoffs — with centres who are not players you would say are at the top at their position.
yep.
Highlight of the Night: MGM Grand Resort. Pool. Camera. Stanley Cup.
sure.
🎬 Filming in progress at @MGMResortsIntl 🎬 #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/U3aV87FeEL
— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) June 6, 2018
