The Tampa Bay Lightning will begin their annual development camp for the team’s draft picks and the organization’s prospects on Tuesday, June 25, and carry on until Saturday, June 29. Of the 29 prospects attending this year’s camp, 22 are draft picks of the Tampa Bay Lightning dating back to the 2015 draft and as recently as the 2019 draft last weekend.
Below is a broad schedule of the camp, including times when fans can come view the camp in progress, along with a list of the players invited.
The five-day camp will take place at the Brandon Ice Sports Forum and will include on-ice and off-ice training and drills for the players. Friday, June 28th and Saturday, June 29th will primarily include a 3v3 tournament that will be free and open to the public. The tournament will also be streamed on the team’s website. These games are a great opportunity for kids and fans of all ages to see some high-level hockey so spaces fill up fast.
Not all of the players in the team’s system are here, some of the older and more developed prospects have not been invited as they tend to have moved past the skills and drills taught in this camp.
Forwards
Peter Abbandonato, Maxim Cajkovic, Nolan Foote, Gabriel Fortier, Cole Guttman, Jimmy Huntington, Cole Koepke, Alexey Lipanov, Ryan Lohin, Mikhail Shalagin, Otto Somppi, Sammy Walker, McKade Webster, Eli Zummack.
Notable absences: Taylor Raddysh, Boris Katchouk, Alex Barre-Boulet
Defensemen
Louis Crevier, Max Crozier, Alexander Dersch, Alex Green, Nicklaus Perbix, Radim Salda, Quinn Schmiemann, Oleg Sosunov, Ryan Zuhlsdorf.
Notables absences: Cal Foote
Goalies
Hugo Alnefelt, Magnus Chrona, Matt Greenfield, Kristian Oldham, Ty Taylor, Clint Windsor.
Free Agent Invitees
Of the 36 prospects attending camp this year, five are free agent invites. These are players not under contract but who might have professional hockey in their future. Occasionally, one of these players will earn an entry level contract based on their showing in camp but that’s unlikely given the Lightning’s roster situation. More likely is that these are players the Lightning might consider as overagers in next year’s draft or players who might get AHL or ECHL opportunities after their junior careers are over.
Eli Zummack (F/WHL)
Zummack is the only forward invitee. He was passed over in the last two drafts. He scored 68 points in 61 games last season after posting 41 in 58 in his draft year. He’s a 5’9” 180 lbs center making him the latest smallish forward to get a chance from the Lightning.
2018 Hockey Prospect Black Book:
In viewings he was often seen providing strong backpressure through the neutral zone and making life difficult for puck carriers. He was a pretty consistent presence on the penalty kill and puts his body on the line to block shots. Zummack is shifty with the puck and shows really good control. His hands both when setting up plays and when carrying the puck at high speed and tight spaces allow him to easily navigate. His soft hands translate to his scoring ability because he can move goalies out of position and tuck pucks into the openings he creates. Although he doesn’t have a blistering shot, its certainly accurate and more strength should build as he gets bigger and stronger. His quick pace and quick thinking help him overcome his size but he faces challenges as he continues to move up the lineup and face stiffer competition. As a right shot center with resilience, work ethic and a strong IQ Zummack has translatable skills for a pro game but it’s a steep climb.
Louis Crevier (D/QMJHL)
Crevier was draft eligible this year but didn’t get much attention from scouts. He’s 6’6” and 187 lbs. He only scored 4 points in 44 games last year so that tells you that he doesn’t have much offensive upside. The Lightning must think he has something to offer defensively to be giving him a shot in camp.
Alexander Dersch (D/QMJHL)
Dersch is another big low-scoring defender from the QMJHL. At 6’4” and 190 lbs, he scored just 10 points in 53 games in his first season of North American hockey after coming over from Germany. Scouts who watched him this season confirm that while his offense is limited, he has some defensive acumen.
2019 Hockey Prospect Black Book:
Scout 1:
Dersch was solid in his own zone, played a physical game along the boards and even got into a fight in the 2nd period. He was playing on the top pairing at even strength with Pierre-Olivier Joseph. Not a whole lot from him as far as offensive plays or puck touches, though.
Scout 2:
He kept his game simple with the puck. There is nothing flashy about his game, but he also did a good job putting pucks on net. He’s not very creative with the puck, but will opt for the simple play without getting into trouble. He was solid along the boards and to defend in his own zone.
Clint Windsor (G/ECHL)
Windsor played eight games in Orlando last year so it’s no surprise to see him get an invite. With the Lightning’s goalie situation in flux, he could be an option to be part of the goalie tandem this season for the Solar Bears. He played well in his games last season posting a .926 save percentage in eight games.
Matt Greenfield (G/USports)
Greenfield has played college hockey in Calgary the last three years but was born in Parkland, Fl. He’s been solid but not spectacular in his college career.
Invitee Breakdowns, per the press release
Draftees: 22
Free Agents: 1
Invitees: 6
By Draft:
2015 Draft: 2
2016 Draft: 3
2017 Draft: 4
2018 Draft: 6
2019 Draft: 7
Draftee Breakdown:
1st Round: 1
2nd Round: 1
3rd Round: 3
4th Round: 2
5th Round: 2
6th Round: 6
7th Round: 7
Attendees by Country:
United States: 11
Canada: 9
Russia: 3
Sweden: 2
Finland: 1
Czech Republic: 1
