Prior to their game on Thursday against the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Tampa Bay Lightning announced that they had recalled defenseman Darren Raddysh from the Syracuse Crunch. The recall was made possible with the cap space opened up by the trade of Vlad Namestnikov to the San Jose Sharks Wednesday night.
The just turned 27-year-old from Toronto is in the midst of a career year as he’s posted 50 points in 50 games for the Crunch this season. He is second among AHL defensemen with 37 assists and tied for second among the league’s leading blueliners with 13 goals. He was also one of the members of the Crunch selected to the AHL All-Star game last month and won the hardest shot competition with a blast that registered at 102.0 MPH.
102 MPH 🥵 pic.twitter.com/37eKdX1N0w
— Syracuse Crunch (@SyracuseCrunch) February 6, 2023
While this is his first recall to the NHL this season, he did make his debut in December of 2021 when he was called up due to some players on the Lightning being out with COVID. He was also recalled in February when Erik Cernak and Zach Bogosian missed some time with injuries. In total he appeared in 4 games, registered 2 shots, blocked 6 shots, and averaged 10:40 of ice time. During the two games in February he did get to play alongside his brother, Taylor.
Originally undrafted, Raddysh played with the Rockford IceHogs and Hartford Wolfpack before signing with the Lightning in the summer of 2021. He then put up 25 points (7 goals, 18 assists) with the Crunch. Last summer the Bolts re-signed him to a two-year deal and he’s flourished as one of the leaders in Syracuse.
With his recall the Lightning are once again carrying 8 defenders on the roster with Raddysh and Haydn Fleury available to spell any of the starters that might need a break due to injury.
Tampa Bay Lightning official press release:
TAMPA BAY — The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defenseman Darren Raddysh, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Raddysh, 27, has yet to play for the Lightning this season but has four games of NHL experience, all coming during the 2021-22 season with Tampa Bay. He made his NHL debut December 30, 2021 at Florida and posted two shots.
The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Raddysh has skated in 50 games this season with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, notching 13 goals and 50 points, ranking second on the Crunch for assists (37) and scoring. Raddysh leads all Crunch defensemen for scoring and ranks second among AHL defenseman scoring leaders. Raddysh also ranks second among all AHL defensemen for assists and tied for second for goals and was selected to represent the North Division at the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic. Raddysh has skated in 339 career AHL contests, notching 42 goals and 170 points.
The undrafted Raddysh was originally signed by the Lightning to a one-year, two-way contract July 28, 2021 and was re-signed to a two-year, two-way contract June 30, 2022.
