he 2025 NHL Entry Draft is officially over. Although the Tampa Bay Lightning were not able to share in the excitement on Day One, there was lots to do on Day Two. The team held eight picks over the course of the last six rounds. So let’s take a look at this year’s draftees.
Draft Round 2, 56th overall
Ethan Czata
With their first pick of the draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning are proud to select, from the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL, Ethan Czata. Czata is a 6’1” centre who put 55 points in 68 games in his sophomore season with the Ice Dogs, and is an intelligent two-way forward with comparables already to Brandon Hagel and Anthony Cirelli. Alongside a successful season in the OHL, Czata also helped Canada take home gold in the U18 World Junior Championship. Czata’s skating, combined with his defensive determination makes him a workhorse in his own zone and a threat in transition, and with comparables to Tampa’s own players, this feels like a very fine match.
WE HAVE A TRADE TO ANNOUNCE
Round 4, 121 overall
Benjamin Rautiainen
The Lightning seemed keen to take the Finish forward from Tappara in the Finnish SM-Liiga, so much so that they traded to get him. Sending Boston a 4th round pick in next year’s draft, the Lightning were able to snag their guy. Rautiainen is a skilled winger with good puck skills, who put up 33 points in 50 games in the Finnish Elite League. Rautiainen also helped Finland capture Silver at the World Juniors this past year, with 4 points in 7 games.
Round 4, 127 overall
Aiden Foster
Aiden Foster is a hard-hitting forward who is also not afraid to drop the gloves. There are definitely areas of Foster’s game that need development as he only put up 20 points in 68 games with the Prince George Cougars of the WHL, along with 136 penalty minutes, but the compete and physicality are surely already there.
Round 5, 151
Everett Baldwin
The Lightning’s first Defenceman drafted, Everett Baldwin is a dynamic offensively minded d-man with exceptional skating skill. Blinding speed and immense agility, coupled with his attack-minded instincts make him a threat off the rush and in the opposing zone. Ranked by many to go somewhere in the 3rd to 4th round, getting Bladwin at pick 151 seems like an early steal, but when drafting this late it is always way too soon to tell.
7th round, picks 193, 206, 212, 215
The Tampa Bay Lightning made 4 selections in the 7th round of the draft. Goaltender Caleb Heil, Centremen Roman Luttsev, Defenceman Grant Spada, and Winger Marco Mignosa. As with most 7th round picks, there often is not much excitement, that is until they become storied NHLers who defied the odds.
Caleb Heil is a 6’2” Goaltender from the Madison Capitols of the USHL. He posted a relatively unimpressive .896 sv%, but did carry a record of 25-10-4 in 39 games played.
Roman Luttsev from Loko Yaroslavl of the MHL had 63 points in 50 games, leading his club in points through last season. A forechecking forward with a sprinkle of skill, can strip pucks and create danger off the rush.
Grant Spada, and all 6’5” of him, is a shutdown defenceman, who uses his size and strength to his advantage. Playing for the Guelph Storm last season, Spada put up only 6 assists in 58 games, and was a -29 +/-, if you buy into the stat.
Marco Mignosa is an overager from the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL, for which he was also an Alternate Captain. In his 4th season with the Greyhounds, Mignosa put up 36 goals and 49 assists, for 85 points in 58 games. As impressive as that seems, Mignossa is already 20 years old, but there is clearly still growth in his game.
And so, another NHL draft is in the books. Overall the Tampa Bay Lightning seemed to do well with the picks available to them. With no first round pick this year, or for the foreseeable future, the Lightning must rely on their scouting staff to find value deep in the draft. But for now the picks are in, and the players’ careers hopefully just beginning. Next up for these young players is development camp, and an exciting one for them it will be.
