| Name | Gage Goncalves |
| Position | Center |
| Age (as of October 1) | 23 |
| Height/Weight | 6’0″, 181 lbs. |
| Expected 2024-25 Team | Syracuse Crunch, Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Draft – Year, Round | 2020, Round 2 (#62) |
| Previous Rankings | #2 (2023), #8 (2022), #13 (2021), #23 (2020) |
| Writer’s Ranking | 6 |
| Reader’s Ranking | 6 |
| Final Rank | 6 |
Stats
Our Thoughts
It’s not often that a prospect has his best season as a professional and then drops four spots in the rankings. Instead of a slight to Gage Goncalves, it’s a testament to the Lightning adding some higher-end young talent to the system. In regards to being NHL-ready, Goncalves is probably the number two prospect in the system. There is another, but we will get to him later in the week.
The 22-year-old has three full AHL seasons under his belt and has been productive in each and every one of them. Through 212 games he has 43 goals and 102 assists in the regular season while adding another 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 17 playoff games. At this point, he really doesn’t have anything left to prove at the AHL level, it’s now about showing the Lightning brass he can do it against NHL competition.
Like a lot of the forwards we’ve already discussed on this list, Goncalves plays a tenacious game. He’s always in on the forecheck and more than willing to drift into a corner and rip the puck away from the opponent. Part of the relentless style of play could come from the fact that, for most of his amateur career, he was one of the smaller players on the ice. A late growth spurt when he was 17 sparked his career in juniors after not being drafted.
That inauspicious start to his junior career is also part of the reason he was passed over in his first NHL draft season. Despite that, he didn’t let it affect him and the Lightning drafted him in 2020 in the second round (hence the Over-age Gage nickname). It’s not often that over-age players go in the second round of their second drafts, so it shows that the Lightning saw something special in him.
He’s rewarded that trust by becoming one of the best playmakers in the system. While his overall projection has him as a third-line forward, there is a good chance he could show up on the Lightning’s top power-play unit if/when he makes the team as a full-time player. His vision and hockey sense compliment his ability to set up his teammates with on-the-tape passes. While passing is his forte, Goncalves possesses a sneaky-good one timer and a decent wrist shot.
Now listed at 6’0″ and over 180 lbs., Goncalves doesn’t back down from any opposition and is constantly mixing it up in front of the net. His blend of forechecking, defensive responsibility, and offense could give the Lightning their most dynamic third-liner since Yanni Gourde slid across a rain-soaked stage on a dolly.
What does Goncalves need to do in order to break camp with the Lightning? Pretty much what he did for the Crunch last year – focus on playing well in his own zone. While his offense should play well at the NHL level, he’s got to be able to shut things down in his own zone. His defensive awareness is really good, the questions will come physically against larger competition. Can he knock other players off the puck? Can he hold his ground in the middle of the ice on net-front scrambles?
If he can answer those questions in the affirmative, he should log quite a few games with the Lightning this season.
Highlight Videos
What I like best about this play is how quick Goncavles kicked the puck back to Alex Barre-Boulet. There is also the sense that the pass was his second option. He was processing the play before he received the puck and when he saw that his shot option wasn’t available, he already knew where to send the puck.
The Lightning have enough players that are going to take up residence in front of the net so Goncalves doesn’t have to make his living there, but he has the skills to do so when needed.
Took the hit. Controlled the puck. Neatly slid a backhand pass to an open teammate. Folks, this is Gage Goncalves.
Goncalves reputation as a passer gave him some extra room on the power play. He took advantage of it and picked a corner with his wrist shot.
On the power play, Goncalves works best off of the half-boards.
He drew the defenders to him and then put a no-look, cross-ice pass right on the tape. That’s some special passing skills right there.
