The Tampa Bay Lightning locked up one of their 2022 draft picks that saw their season end somewhat unexpectedly. No, not that one, this one. Connor Kurth, now a former University of Minnesota Golden Gopher, inked a two-year deal with the Lightning on Sunday after the Gophers were eliminated from the NCAA Championships by UMass in the opening round.
Kurth scored in the 5-4 overtime loss, with his goal making it 3-1 in favor of Minnesota, but it wasn’t enough, as his season ended when Aydar Suniev potted the game-winner at the 4:49 mark of overtime. Despite the somewhat unexpected loss, it was a banner season as the 21-year-old forward scored 18 goals and added 21 assists, which was more offense than he had produced in his first two seasons combined. He joins a mass exodus of NHL-drafted players leaving the school as Jimmy Snuggerud, Oliver Moore, Sam Rinzel, and Matthew Wood all signed their entry-level deals in the past few days. All of that talent departing probably helped in the decision to forgo his final year of eligibility.
Kurth’s contract will kick in next season, but he’ll join the Syracuse Crunch on an amateur deal for the remainder of this season. It’s a similar path that Dylan Duke took last season when Michigan was eliminated from postseason play. Duke was able to get into a few regular season games before helping the Crunch in the playoffs. Following their overtime win against Rochester on Sunday, the Crunch have nine regular-season games to go, and are currently holding onto the final playoff spot in the North Division, with a three-point lead over Belleville. They’ve started to work recent signee Cooper Flinton into the rotation, so expect the same for Kurth once he joins them.
Drafted in the sixth-round in 2022, Kurth has been steadily improving his play in college. He debuted in the 25th spot of our Top 25 Under 25 in 2022, moved up to 24th in 2023, before hitting 23rd in the most recent rankings. With at least seven spots opening up on next year’s ranking, and his play with Minnesota this season, expect him to move up a few more spots.
So, what does he bring to the Crunch? A quick, deceptive wrister, and goal-scoring instincts. He knows how to get to the right spot at the right time to score. While he’s improved his skating, it could still use a little work to become a regular NHLer. He does good work along the boards and on the forecheck, and could develop into a complimentary scorer in a depth role.
For now, he’ll get to dip his feet into the professional environment before heading home for the summer. Expect to see him at the post-draft development camp in July, and then later at the Rookie Showcase prior to training camp.
