2015-16 Tampa Bay Lightning Top 10 Prospects

A look at the Tampa Bay Lightning top 10 prospects heading into the 2015-16 season.

Since joining the Lightning as GM, Steve Yzerman has done an excellent job guiding this franchise. Using his former team the Detroit Red Wings as a model, Yzerman has placed an emphasis on scouting, drafting and developing talent.

The NHL roster is loaded with impact players under 25 and despite that accomplishment, there are plenty of quality and depth still remaining in the organization. Tampa made a return to the Stanley Cup finals last year and look poised to be just beginning a long run of playoff appearances and Stanley Cup contentions.

1. Andrei Vasilevskiy: Goalie – 6’3” / 207 lbs
Drafted: 19^th overall in the first round of the 2012 draft by Tampa

At 21 years of age, Vasilevskiy made his North American and NHL debut last year and is arguably the top young goalie prospect in the world. He quickly graduated from a short stint in the AHL and forced Evgeni Nabokov into retirement. He played in 16 regular season games and was impressive with a 7-5-1 record and a 2.36 GAA, adding a shutout to boot. After incumbent Ben Bishop was injured in the Stanley Cup finals, Vasilevskiy performed very admirably in relief in a game and a bit. He has size and athleticism and skill to be a number one now, and for a long time. A blood clot injury will force him to miss the start of the season.

Scouting Report:

Coming in at 6’3″ tall, Vasilevskiy has the ideal height and size that NHL teams are looking for more and more in goaltenders today. He is big and takes up a lot of space. When he gets out on his angles he doesn’t leave shooters with a whole lot of net to look at. As evidenced by his performance in the finals Vasilevskiy is mature beyond his years, and this helps him maintain a cool and calm composure in the net.Vasilevskiy has quick and agile legs that cover the bottom of the net. He is very hard to beat down low. He also has an effective glove hand, something that more and more European goalies are learning to develop in recent years. Vasilevskiy is very good in his lateral movement, he gets side to side in his crease quickly and doesn’t overcommit to cross-ice passes. – Last Word on Sports

2. Anthony DeAngelo: Defence – 5’11” / 175 lbs
Drafted: 19^th overall in the first round of the 2014 draft by Tampa

DeAngelo had an important year of development in his final OHL season. His already potent offensive game continued to mature as he produced a whopping 89 points in 55 regular season games. DeAngelo also improved his questionable reputation of poor character as he had no suspensions or controversy, and seems to have matured. After a mid-season trade to Sault Ste. Marie and a long playoff run, DeAngelo claimed the top OHL and CHL defenceman of the year awards. He will begin his pro career in the AHL as he still has some defensive warts to iron out of his game, but could be running the vaunted Tampa powerplay in the very near future.

Scouting Report:

An excellent skater with good straight ahead speed, he is extremely tough to beat in races for loose pucks. DeAngelo possesses great patience and vision with the puck along with a quick release on a good wrist shot. With his skill set, there is every reason to believe that he will quarterback a power play at the NHL level. – Hockey Prospectus

3. Slater Koekkoek: Defence – 6’2” / 184 lbs
Drafted: tenth overall in the first round of the 2012 draft by Tampa

Koekkoek had a strong rookie season in the AHL after shoulder injuries plagued his final years of development in junior. Koekkoek lead the Syracuse Crunch in defence scoring with 26 points in 72 games and he also made his NHL debut playing in three games with the Lightning averaging 16:35 minutes of ice time. Koekkoek will be given a chance to crack the roster out of training camp and has eventual top pairing upside. The question is if he is able to beat out Matt Carle or Andrej Sustr for a bottom pairing position, or would he be better suited returning to the AHL and playing top minutes?

Scouting Report:

We’re pretty happy with as an organization. He really needed to improve on his down-low defending game and he’s made a lot of strides in that area. He’s got a great plus/minus; he’s a guy that we count on the penalty kill and in late-game situations. His speed allows him to do a lot of things defensively, not just offensively. – Syraccuse Head Coach Rob Zettler, NHL.com

4. Adam Erne: Left Wing – 6’1” / 210 lbs
Drafted: 33^rd overall in the second round of the 2013 draft by Tampa

The young power forward had a monster final year in junior, scoring 41 goals, 86 points and 102 penalty minutes in 60 regular season games. He was a force for Quebec in their playoff run, leading them to the Memorial Cup with 21 goals in 22 playoff games. Erne brings some skill but his strength and sand paper approach to the game is what sets him out from the rest of the Bolts talented forwards. He will start his pro career in the AHL this year, but could be a call up during the season.

Scouting Report:

He is a prototypical power forward who hits hard and is a handful to deal with down low in the offensive zone. A good skater with solid speed that he uses to his advantage on the rush. He is also a very good stickhandler and is quite comfortable skating up ice with the puck on his stick. His conditioning must improve and the next step for him is to prove he can put up numbers at the pro level. – Hockey Prospectus

5. Mitchell Stephens: Centre – 5’11 / 188 lbs
Drafted: 33^rd overall in the second round of the 2015 draft by Tampa

Stephens had a good draft year scoring 48 points on a poor Saginaw team in the OHL. His season was bookended by two strong performances with Team Canada at the Ivan Hlinka and U18 tournaments winning Gold and Bronze. Stephens was identified as a leader by Team Canada and was named team Captain at the U18, where he was second in team scoring. Fast, hardworking future captain may have limited NHL offensive potential, but he is a sure-fire NHL player. He will return to junior for one more year before turning pro and developing in the AHL.

Scouting Report:

2015 draft pick Mitchell Stephens is a very mature all-around player who brings a lot of grit and leadership ability to a team. He is a great passer and protects the puck well using good positioning. He has great speed and it will be interesting to see how much he produces offensively this season in the OHL in his third season with Saginaw. – Hockey Prospectus

6. Brayden Point: Centre – 5’10” / 160 lbs
Drafted: 79^th overall in the third round of the 2014 draft by Tampa

Point made some pretty serious noise at the Team Canada U20 training camp by outscoring high profile players like Mitch Marner and Dylan Strome with eight points in two games. No stranger to offence, Point scored 87 points in 60 games in the WHL with Moose Jaw last year and made his pro debut scoring two goals and two assists in nine AHL games with Syracuse. Tampa has no problems giving high skilled smaller players a chance and the Point Machine has top six potential.

Scouting Report:

elusive, intelligent puck carrier who sees the ice well and offers elite playmaking skills .. equally effective at shifting laterally with the puck from the boards into the high slot, then finding open teammates sense the game well – knows when to pass and when to unload a hard, often-screened slapshot that can stymie goalies .. non-stop motor and great anticipatory skills make him a quality two-way junior center .. not the faster skater in a straight line, but great on his edges, and able to handle the puck in top gear .. needs to add some muscle for the pro game .. tough roster to crack, but top-three center potential. – McKeens Hockey

7. Matthew Peca: Centre – 5’8” / 155 lbs
Drafted: 201^st overall in the seventh round of the 2011 draft by Tampa

Peca has all the signs of being another late round steal. Tampa loves their skilled forwards and don’t mind if they lack size. Peca has been around a point per game player during his college career and was quickly signed to a contract upon completion of his senior year. He made an impression in a late season audition in Syracuse, scoring four points in eight games. Peca has had an impressive rookie and training camp, as well earning plenty of praise and is positioned for a key role in Syracuse for his first full pro season.

Scouting Report:

Peca is an extremely good skater, with very good speed, quick acceleration and the ability to change gears that fools opponents off the rush. He’s well balanced on his skates and is not afraid to battle in corners or in front of the net despite his size. He will however need to add some more muscle to be more effective in playing that type of game at the pro level. Peca is more of a playmaker than a scorer. He has strong puck handling skills and shows poise with it on his stick. He has good vision and passing skills helping him to rack up assists at the NCAA level. He can create plays off the rush with his speed, or in the cycle game as he does good work down low as well. Peca’s shot is accurate and features a quick release, but he could stand to add a bit more muscle and power. Peca has a well refined two-way game. Throughout his college career, he was an important two way player for the Bobcats, who played against other team’s top lines and was featured on the team’s penalty kill. While he can sometimes be overpowered by bigger and stronger opponents, Peca is relentless on the backcheck and never stops battling.- Last Word on Sports

8. Dominik Masin: Defence – 6’2” / 189 lbs
Drafted: 35^th overall in the second round of the 2014 draft by Tampa

Masin (pronounced Machine) was limited to just 48 games in his North America debut with the Peterborough Petes. He is a physical player who dishes out devastating hits, but needs to improve his fighting skills. He displayed some offensive upside as well seeing PP time with the Petes and scored 26 points. He projects as a mid-pairing NHL defenceman, similar to Radko Gudas. The Hit Machine will be a fan hero in Tampa.

Scouting Report:

Masin has good size and mobility like Koekkoek and Spencer, with offensive upside that lies somewhere between the two, although much closer to Spencer’s than Koekkoek’s. With that said, the thing that sets the Czech-born blueliner apart from his two contemporaries is a zeal for the physical game that at times. – Bolts Prospects

9. Matt Spencer: Defence – 6’2” / 203 lbs
Drafted: 44^th overall in the second round of the 2014 draft by Tampa

Spencer was projected as a first round pick, but his rankings fell slightly into the second round. He is a solid steady two-way player who does not really excel at anything, but is very good at everything. Another player of the Peterborough Petes in the system, Spencer will return and be a leader on an improved Petes team for his third OHL season. Spencer needs to develop his offensive game project more than a depth player in the NHL.

Scouting Report:

The 18-year-old will not wow you with any of his individual skills, but the sum of his parts should lead to a successful professional career. Not a great skater, but does have good enough mobility and makes a very good first pass out of the zone. He needs to fill out a bit in order to become a more physical defender at the pro level. – Hockey Prospectus

10. Kristers Gudlevskis: Goalie – 6’4” / 190 lbs
Drafted: 124^th overall in the fifth round of the 201 draft by Tampa

Gudlevskis is best known for his heroics with team Latvia in a game against Canada at the 2014 Olympics, or his inspiring relieving Ben Bishop in the post season against Montreal after an injury. Once considered the future starting goalie for Tampa, inconsistent play has plagued his development. With an injury keeping Vasilevskiy out for the start of the season Gudlevskis has an opportunity to prove himself. He will spend most of the season competing for starts in the AHL with Adam Wilcox.

Scouting Report:

Gudlevskis continues to refine the technical and tactical aspects of his game but is a large, lanky goalie who fills the net well and uses his size to advantage. He is an athletic goaltender who can sometimes use his physical tools to compensate for mistakes. He needs more consistency as he faces higher quality scorers capable of exploiting any lapses. He is a well-conditioned athlete and has the stamina to handle a big workload though he appeared fatigued at the end of the long season. – Hockeys Future

Honorable Mention: Yan Dennis, Anthony Cireelli, Dylan Blujus, Jonathan MacLeod, Nikita Nesterov, Henri Ikonen, Adam Wilcox.

Recent Roster Graduates: Jonathan Drouin, Vladislav Namestnikov, Cedric Paquette, Nikita Nesterov

Players under 25 years old and with less than 25 career NHL games played qualify as a prospect for purpose of this list.

Written by Peter Harling, who can be found on twitter @pharling

Andrei Vasilevskiy

Anthony DeAngelo

Slater Koekkoek

Adam Erne

Mitchell Stephens

Brayden Point

Matthew Peca

Dominik Masin

Matt Spencer

Kristers Gudlevskis