Photo by Alexis Boucher

With all signs pointing towards today’s trade deadline being uneventful, there were more than a few surprising moves leading up to 3 pm. The Lightning joined in as well, making headlines with a shocking trade. Their quest for a number one goaltender sent them to Ottawa and a goalie they expressed interest in last year, 6’8″ Ben Bishop. In return, the Senators acquired forward Cory Conacher and a fourth round draft pick. This was a head scratcher for many fans, the jury here remains out until we see exactly what we’re working with.

There have been some other moves so far this week as well. Defenseman Marc-Andre Bergeron was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Bolts picked up a seventh round draft pick and forward Adam Hall. Yes, the very same Adam Hall that the ‘Canes claimed off of waivers on March 16th. To make things even more confusing, the Philadelphia Flyers claimed Hall off of waivers today. No one would have been surprised to hear he was dealt back to the Bolts yet again, but it looks like he’s sticking on Broad Street for now.

Today also saw a number of roster shifts between Tampa and Syracuse. Brett Connolly and Dana Tyrell were called up from the Crunch. Cedrick Desjardins, Andrej Sustr, Mike Angelidis, and Ondrej Palat are on their way back to the ‘Cuse. Moves done most likely to bolster the Crunch ahead of the AHL playoffs.

Alex Killorn Photo Credit: Syracuse Crunch Facebook Page

Update: Dana Tyrell cleared waivers as of noon today. Killorn is will be making his NHL debut tonight. He’ll be on the third line as right wing, Ryan Malone at left wing, and Benoit Pouliot at center.

With the news of Dana Tyrell being placed on waivers earlier today, a call up from Syracuse seemed to be a foregone conclusion. What wasn’t apparently was who exactly would be joining the Lightning in New York City for tomorrow’s game. Tyler Johnson was invited to the team’s abbreviated training camp a few weeks back. Brett Connolly played 68 games with the big club last season. JT Wyman saw playing time with the Bolts last year as well. According to an article on Syracuse.com, center Alex Killorn will be making his NHL debut against the Rangers.

Rumblings started when Killorn was scratched for the Crunch’s Saturday night game against Albany. He is tied  for second on the team with 38 points, 16 goals, and 22 assists. Originally selected by the Lightning in the 2007 Entry Draft, the Harvard grad has had a torrid run since joining the Norfolk Admirals following his graduation last year.

» Continue reading “Report: Alex Killorn Expected To Be Called Up By Lightning”

The Famous Voodoo Strikes. Photo by Linda Hamilton

- Well, it’s official. The NHL has announced that the Lightning & Bruins game has been postponed and will not take place this evening.  Per Damian Cristodero, the league is working on rescheduling the game now. The team will travel by bus to New York this afternoon as Logan airport remains closed. The game against the Rangers is set to go on as planned… at least for now anyways.

It’s the right move to make. The amount of snow that fell and continues to fall is pretty insane. Wishing the team safe travels on the way to the Big Apple.

- Bob McKenzie of TSN tweeted that the Lightning have placed center Dana Tyrell on waivers. No word from the team as of yet, but it is an interesting move. Tyrell hasn’t been seeing a lot of ice time. Should he clear waivers, he would be assigned to the Syracuse Crunch.

Given the number of injuries that have already taken place in the shortened season, there’s a very good chance that another team could pick him up. Some of the current rumblings are that Jay Feaster, GM of the Calgary Flames, could be

Pierre Cedric Labrie Photo by Linda Hamilton

The Tampa Bay Lightning announced their opening night roster well ahead of Friday’s deadline. Here’s how the team is going to look:

Forwards: Vinny Lecavalier, Steven Stamkos, Marty St. Louis, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Malone, Benoit Pouliot, Tom Pyatt, Dana Tyrell, Adam Hall, Nate Thompson, B.J. Crombeen, Cory Conacher and Pierre-Cedric Labrie.

Defensemen: Victor Hedman, Sam Salo, Eric Brewer, Matt Carle, Brian Lee, Marc-Andre Bergeron, Keith Aulie and Brendan Mikkelson.

Goaltenders: Anders Lindback & Mathieu Garon.

So there you have it.That’s how the 2013 Bolts ( Not 2012-13. There was no 2012 involved in this season) will get started. The coaches seemed extremely positive about Conacher, so his addition isn’t exactly a surprise. Labrie on the other hand? Wow. For a while it seemed like Tyler Johnson could make the jump to the main club. Both he and Conacher have been insanely prolific when it comes to scoring. Johnson’s time is definitely coming, but not this Saturday.

The addition of Labrie and Crombeen have the potential to change the landscape of the on ice product if you will. With the exception of Steve Downie, the Lightning have been more about skill and finesse since Yzerman & Boucher came to town. The mantra was reacting to the opponent. Labrie and Crombeen play their game with a healthy amount of grit and physicality. They’ll be expected to play with discipline, but it could make other teams think twice before they take physical advantage of the Bolts.

Yup. Officially getting excited.

Vincent Lecavalier Photo by Linda Hamilton

While we’re all up STILL waiting for the NHL schedules to be released, how about some news?

- The Lightning will open their training camp tomorrow at the Tampa Bay Times Forum. They’ll remain in town for camp again on Monday before hitting the road. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday’s sessions will take place at Germain Arena in Estero, FL.

- As part of tomorrow’s festivities, fans are being welcomed back to the Tampa Bay Times Forum with a.. well, Fan Fest. Practice, specials on merchandise, and autograph sessions with the entire team. Season Ticket Members are privy to an exclusive autograph session in the Club level. No word on who exactly that will feature. More info can be found here.

-Update: The schedule is here!

» Continue reading “Nuts & Bolts: Training Camp, Fan Fest, Schedule, & Sexy Vinny”

Photo by Alexis Boucher

With the NHL’s impending return, the fans are buzzing with excitement of having actual hockey to talk about again. Our players are returning from near and far. Training camps are right around the corner and many squads have already begun informal skating sessions.

While flipping through photos of the Lightning’s skate the other day, an unsettling moment occurred.  There was a player in a Tampa sweater. And I had no idea who the hell he was. Summer signings feel like they were a million years ago, so we can cut ourselves a little slack. We need a refresher course as to who exactly plays for our team now. What better way to do that than with a little game?

Here’s how it works. A series of roster photos will be shown along with multiple choice answers. Pick your answer until you reach the end. The answer key will let you know how you did. Winner gets… the satisfaction of a job well done.

Now it’s time for NAME… THAT… BOLT!

» Continue reading “Name That Bolt!”

Adam Hall Photo by Linda Hamilton

It’s been a while since we checked in on the Lightning players plying their trade in European league. With NHL negotiations essentially exploding last week, this list is probably going to get a bit longer in the near future.

- Friday’s game that saw the Ravensburg Towerstars fall to the league leading SERC 5-2. The loss was forward Adam Hall’s 7th consecutive game with a goal. Adam Hall: Scoring Dynamo. Who knew?

- Goalie Anders Lindback.. seems to be doing well. We’re assuming this based on the numbers Bolts Prospects is coming up with. Apparently Google Translate has issues with Finnish. For example, a translated excerpt of an Ilves game recap:

“The second tranche was dominated by IFK. Away team statistics, the Lynx did not get any item category one paint the place. Got a great job with Lynx goalkeeper Anders Lindbäck rejected item 15 times.” (Source: YLE.fi)

Sure.

» Continue reading “EuroTrip: Catching Up With The Bolts Abroad”

Do or do not. There is no try.

A long time ago in an arena by the bay… two hockey bloggers found themselves sitting at home on a Friday night. Dinner had been consumed, pajamas were on,  and the only thing left to do was to find a movie on television. Enter “Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope” and “The Empire Strikes Back”.

As the movies progressed, Jason Haas and I did the only thing we could to make the evening complete. We cast Lightning players past and present in George Lucas’ space epic.  The original trilogy only, of course. We’re not complete heathens.

Who’s who in our Lightning/Star Wars crossover? Read on…

» Continue reading “Bolt Wars: Who’s Scruffy-Looking?”

Cédric Paquette Photo by Jason Haas

The Lightning’s 2012 development camp came to a close Saturday morning with an energetic 3-on-3 tournament. This year’s camp was a little bit different as there were few AHLers in attendance. There were a lot of new faces, new draft picks, and one young man with family ties in the Bay area.

Vladislav Namestnikov, Slater Koekkoek, Nikita Nesterov, and Cedric Paquette comprised Team Hedman and ended the week as winners of the mini-tournament. It may not have been the Stanley Cup, but Lightning forward Dana Tyrell brought their hardware onto the trophy while wearing white gloves.

The victory came in the shootout, when Koekkoek put the puck through goaltender Pat Nagle’s legs.

“It was an awesome experience. We got off to a slow start on the day, but made it to the final, and it was cool to win it and go out on top. I don’t think I could have asked for a better way to end camp,” Koekkoek said.  (Quote Source: Lightning Official Site)

Couldn’t make it to camp? Here’s a few thoughts from what I saw on Saturday.

- Koekkoek was really super intense. REALLY intense. It was kind of scary, but he plays tough and came to win. Can’t argue with that kind of effort. Also, I have nicknamed him Walrus because of the Beatles.

- Cody Bradley didn’t look out of place at all. It was also really neat to see a name on the camp roster with a hometown of Tampa, Florida.

- Nice to see Luke Witkowski back again. He’s been at development camp the last few years and you can really see how his play has improved. He and Koekkoek had some intense battles going on in front of the net.

- JT Brown was just incredibly loose. So smooth when it comes to his playing. He is going to be in the mix for a main roster spot, mark my words.