The Tampa Bay Lightning have just finished up their 2025 prospect tournament. The prospect tournament was a six game feature held over the weekend showcasing the talent prospect pools of the Lightning, Hurricanes, Predators, and Panthers. Meanwhile, the Lightning finished the tournament with two wins and one loss, as Tampa’s prospects established themselves as a group not to be underestimated.
Game 1 vs Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay’s first game against the Nashville Predators ended in Tampa’s only loss in a close 3-2 game. The Lightning came out a hesitant at first, which is to be expected, but got more comfortable as time went on, and end up playing a very complete game by the end.
A couple of Tampa Bay’s newest and youngest members connected for the Lightning’s first goal of the tournament, as Sam O’Reilly dished a solid pass to Ethan Czata, who roofed a beauty backhand to capture an initial 1-0 lead.
Sam O’Reilly, the 2024 1st round pick acquired by Tampa Bay in the a with Edmonton this offseason, wasted little time making impressions and fit in quite well within the lineup, despite not being a part of Tampa’s own development camp.
Another standout in the game against the Predators was netminder Harrison Meneghin. Even in a loss Meneghin looked very sharp, coming up clutch in big moments, including on early game penalty kills. Only one of the three goals to beat Meneghin came 5 on 5, one of which came from a penalty shot, something you can never pin on the goalie.
Game 2 vs Florid Panthers
Tampa’s second game of the tourney saw them face off against the Florida Panthers, and it took zero time at all for these young players to embrace the rivalry between these two franchises. This game was fast and physical, with neither team conceding an inch. In the end it was the Lightning taking the game 3-2.
Grant Spada quickly highlighted himself as someone who can turn the momentum with his physical play, as the 6’ 5”, 2025 7th rounder helped get the party started with a fight early in the first period.
Sam O’Rielly continued to show himself as a valuable return from Edmonton after moving on from Isaac Howard, as O’Reilly had himself several grade A scoring chances throughout the first that just would not go.
A tight scoreless first period gave way to a five goal second. It was in this second period it seemed that former 2021 4th round pick Dylan Duke started shining and did not stop. Duke showcased his speed and skill, using his skating to separate from the pack and set up scoring chances, including the game winner with an excellent feed to Kaden Pitre for what would ultimately be the game winner late in the second.
Game 3 vs Carolina Hurricanes
The tournament was capped off with a final game against the Carolina Hurricanes, in which Tampa Bay ran away with a 5-1 victory. Although the Lightning prospects only had 3 games together, in this final game they looked like they had been playing with each other for months. The team was firing on all cylinders, though the game did not initially start that way.
A couple early penalties sent Carolina on a 5 on 3 powerplay, in which they potted the game’s first goal. After that it was all Lightning.
One of the big stories going into the game was late PTO addition Spencer Kersten. Kersten is a little older than most prospects at the tournament, as the 25 year old has played with Tampa Bay’s ECHL affiliate Orlando Solar Bears. Kersten provided leadership. Meanwhile, he wasted little time adding his name to the scoresheet. Specifically, he made a slick pass to set up Kaden Pitre for a 2-1 Tampa lead.
Flinton jumped to the forefront
The highlight player of the final game had to be Cooper Flinton. He buzzed all around the net, creating scoring chances whether it be off his own stick or feeding someone else’s. Flinton started right away with a cheeky touch pass early in the first to set Tristan Allard on a breakaway that was stopped.
Meanwhile, Flinton also found the back of the net twice on his own. The first came in the 2nd period as he jumped on a loose puck in the slot and banged it home, increasing Tampa’s lead to 2. Subsequently, he made a strong drive to the net during a 4-on-4 to put away the game, 5-1.
It’s hard not to be impressed with the performance of the Lightning’s prospects, from a team that had no former first round picks of their own to feature, they still put on an impressive display and more. Syracuse Crunch head coach and general manager Joel Bouchard was asked after the final game about the team’s play and offensive game, to which he replied, “I thought we got better every game, and it was fun. We only had a couple of practices, we only had three games but I felt every game – period from period in the tournament, in a lot of areas we got better and better, it was fun for the guys.”
Only time will tell us who from this tournament will secure themselves a role as a full time NHLer in the future. Nevertheless, each team and every player certainly put on a show. The Tampa Bay Lightning continue to set a standard for talent acquisition and development.
