The turnstile continues on the Tampa Bay Lightning roster. Gabriel Fortier was reassigned to Syracuse on Thursday, but on Friday, they recalled his Crunch teammate Jesse Ylonen. The 25 year-old forward was brought into the organization this summer after Montreal decided not to tender him a contract. In 47 games with the Crunch, Ylonen has 8 goals and 17 assists.
The Lightning will be practicing on Saturday, and it’s possible that Ylonen has been called up to fill a little space on the ice, especially if the organization decides to give their returning 4 Nations Face-Off players an extra day off before returning to action. Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, and Jake Guentzel all competed in a tense championship final, and unlike their teammates, haven’t had the benefit of almost two weeks off of the ice.
In the possibility that one of those four players need an extra day off to deal with an injury, or just plain fatigue, Ylonen could draw into the line-up on Sunday against the Seattle Kraken. The 6’0″ forward would come to the ice with a little more experience than other Lightning call-ups this season. The former Canadien has played 111 NHL games and recorded 12 goals along with 17 assists.
He dove into the Top 25 Under 25 rankings in the 18th spot and has potential to be a solid middle-six forward. He skates well and has a NHL-level wrist shot. If he gets a chance to play with the Bolts, he’ll need to show that he can be involved consistently in the offense. Part of his struggle in Montreal was a tendency to show up one night and then turn invisible the next.
Silky smooth Jesse Ylonen. @syracusecrunch.com | #ROCvsSYR
— American Hockey League (@theahl.com) January 11, 2025 at 8:45 PM
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He would also have the distinction of being the first son of a former Lightning player to put on the Blue and White of the Bolts. His father, Juha, spent 65 games with Tampa Bay during the 2001-02 season, recording 3 goals and 10 assists. We traded to Ottawa at the 2002 deadline for Andre Roy and a sixth-round draft pick that the Lightning used to draft Paul Ranger.
