Declan Carlile had a taste of the NHL last season. Can he turn that into a regular spot this season, or is he still a year away?
| Name | Declan Carlile |
| Position | Defense |
| Age (as of October 1) | 24 |
| Height/Weight | 6’2″, 192 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Crunch / Lightning |
| Draft – Year, Round | Not drafted |
| Previous Rankings | #11 (2023), #19 (2022), |
| Writer’s Ranking | 11 |
| Reader’s Ranking | 13 |
| Final Rank | 12 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
There were a few left-shot defensemen in the Lightning system whose ears perked up when they heard that Mikhail Sergachev had been traded to Utah at the NHL draft. All of a sudden there was an opening on the NHL squad (especially since they weren’t planning on re-signing Calvin de Haan or Matt Dumba). Of course, once they heard 24-year-old JJ Moser was part of the package coming back, that excitement dimmed a little.
Declan Carlile is one of those defensemen who seems to be on the cusp of earning a longer shot at the NHL level than the one-game cup of coffee he had last season when everyone and their stepbrother was hurt on the Bolts’ blue line. With the way the depth charts map out right now, Carlile is likely looking at a spot as the seventh defenseman at best. If he doesn’t make the initial cut, then it’s back to Syracuse where a chance to play top-pair minutes awaits him.
The 24-year-old blue liner played well in his second full season with the Crunch, appearing in 61 games and setting career-highs in points (27) and assists (20) while also scoring 7 goals. In the playoffs he added another 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in 8 games, finishing third on the team in points for the postseason.
Carlile likes to generate offense off of his shot (he had 98 of them last year). He tends to fire nice, hard shots from the blue line that get on net and create rebounds or deflections opportunities. Carlile should see a little time on the power play with the Crunch this year as well and it should be a good use of his talents.
In his own zone, he is solid, willing to block shots and able to use his size to keep the center of the ice clear. His skating is about average for the AHL and good enough to be a bottom-six defender at the NHL level. Chances are he’s not going to be flying up and down the ice with the puck and will rely more on his passing skills to get the puck out of the zone. His breakout passes are usually on target and his decision-making with the puck is fine. As Hardev has pointed out in past reports, Carlile does have to fight the tendency to hold onto the puck too long as he faces tougher forechecks.
There aren’t a lot of exciting things that stand out about his game (although his shot from the point is a bit underrated). On the flip side, there aren’t any glaring weaknesses either. He is another in the line of Tampa Bay defensive prospects that will spend time in the NHL as a bottom-pair defenseman with an upside of second-pairing and second unit power play time. That’s not too bad for an undrafted college free agent.
With a left side of Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh, and JJ Moser in Tampa for the next two seasons, along with Emil Lilleberg lingering in the shadows, there aren’t a lot of minutes available for younger players. He can flip to the right side if needed so he should be in the running for the seventh defensive spot in training camp.
Chances are he ends up in Syracuse and with all of the changes that roster has seen, he’ll probably be battling the veteran Derrick Pouliot for the top spot on the left side, especially if Lilleberg makes the Lightning roster. If he plays like he did last season he should be at the top of the list for injury recalls. Once he’s there he can force the Lightning to keep him up there like Erik Cernak and Darren Raddysh have before him.
Highlight Videos
It’s a short backswing for his one-timer, but Carlile still generated a lot of pace on his shot, as he beat the goaltender from distance.
With his head up he spied Alex Barre-Boulet crashing on the backside of the net. The pass was right on the tape for an easy tap-in.
Proof that the hardest shot isn’t the most dangerous. The key to getting the shot on net was the stride to the left that cleared the forward who was trying to come out to block the shot. From their Carlile just flung it towards the net for a rebound or the deflection.
There was some nice timing on this shot by Carlile. He skated to a good shooting spot since Utica gave him all that ice, but he waited until the opposing player was close enough to screen the shot, but not in a lane to block it.
It’s subtle, but there is a little shoulder flinch by Carlile that made the forward think “pass” for a split second and kept his stick to the center of the ice. That left space for Carlile to get the shot on net. It hit a pile of bodies in front, but since it got through that initial line of defense, it created a little good chaos.
