It’s September (finally). That means hockey is right around the corner. Congratulations, folks – we made it! The first Bolts to play competitive games against non-teammates will be the potential rookies as they take on prospects from Nashville, Florida, and Carolina in the annual Rookie Showcase. This year’s tournament will take place at the Ford Ice Center Bellevue in Nashville, Tennessee from September 13th-16th.
Each team will field a game roster of 18 skaters and 2 goaltenders. They will play one 60-minute game (broken up into three 20-minute periods) per day, and each game will be followed by a five-skater shootout regardless of the final score). If the game is tied at the end of regulation, there will be a five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period.
The 23 Lightning prospects will head up a few days early and practice on September 11th and 12th before the games begin. The Lightning open up the group play against the Hurricanes at 6:00 PM on Friday the 13th. Their next game is on Saturday at 6:00 PM against the host team. After a practice day on Sunday, they conclude their set of games on Monday at 11:00 AM against the Panthers. Following the games, the players and staff will roll back into Tampa to start the proper training camp along with the veterans.
The Lightning roster is limited to players that are on their entry-level contracts (or less), have less than 20 games of NHL experience, and are 24-years-old or younger. In the roster below you will notice that none of the prospects that are in the college program are listed on the active roster. Most schools have begun, or will begin, their fall training schedule soon. Also, NCAA players would have to pay their own way (including food and lodging) if they wanted to participate thanks to the Byzantine rules of eligibility with drafted prospects.
So, who is attending for the Lightning? Let’s take a look!
| Number/Last Name | First Name | Position | How Acquired |
| 61 ALLARD | Tristan | C | Free Agent |
| 65 CROZIER | Max | D | Draft |
| 53 DUKE | Dylan | LW | Draft |
| 32 DUREAU | Jaydon | LW | Draft |
| 54 EDMONDS | Lucas | RW | Draft |
| 42 FEIST | Tyson | D | Free Agent |
| 89 GAUTHIER | Ethan | RW | Draft |
| 14 GEEKIE | Conor | C | Trade |
| 57 GILL | Dyllan | D | Draft |
| 55 GOLICIC | Jan | D | Draft |
| 52 GROSHEV | Max | LW | Draft |
| 95 HAY | Ethan C | C | Draft |
| 47 HUUHTANEN | Niko | RW | Draft |
| 78 LILLEBERG | Emil | D | Free Agent |
| 83 PITRE | Kaden | C | Draft |
| 36 ROELENS | Milo | C | Free Agent |
| 76 SCHMIDT | Roman | D | Draft |
| 45 SVEJKOVSKY | Lukas | RW | Trade |
| 96 SZTURC | Gabriel | C | Free Agent |
| 46 WALFORD | Scott | D | Free Agent |
| 39 WEIR | Jace | D | Invitee |
| 29 FANTI | Ryan | G | Free Agent |
| 1 MENEGHIN | Harrison | G | Draft |
Of the 23 players attending, 13 players have been drafted by the Lightning, 2 have been acquired via trade, 7 are free-agent signings, and one is an invitee. The invitee is defenseman Jace Weir, a 20-year-old, 6’2″, 196 lbs., right-shot that has spent the last few seasons with the Red Deer Rebels of the WHL. Based on some of the scouting reviews he projects to be a bottom-pair defender that has some two-way skills.
Much like they did with Gabriel Szturc last year, the Lightning will use this as a chance to evaluate him at a closer level. If they like what they see, they could invite him to their training camp and then possibly sign him as a free agent if they like what they see.
If you feel like heading up to Nashville for the weekend games, they are open and free to the public. If you can’t make it, the games will stream on the Lightning’s website.
