The NHL Draft is just 43 days away. Starting on June 27, fans will have the opportunity to watch their teams draft the next wave of building blocks. As for the Tampa Bay Lightning’s draft night, they don’t have their first-round pick per usual. Tampa Bay sent that pick to the Nashville Predators back at the 2023 Trade Deadline in exchange for Tanner Jeannot.
The Lightning flipped Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings last summer, and that second-round pick from Los Angeles is the highest on their 2025 Draft board. Furthermore, the Lightning don’t have a third-round pick either, making this 2025 second from Los Angeles their only pick in the first three rounds. However, the Lightning have six picks in the final four rounds, including four seventh-round picks. The Lightning have drafted extremely well in the later rounds, developing prospects into impact roster players. To get your hopes up for the 2025 NHL Draft, let’s revisit some of Tampa Bay’s draft steals in recent memory.
Lightning Struck Gold in 2011
A successful 2011 NHL Draft changed the Lightning’s franchise forever. While they selected Vladislav Namestnikov with the 27th overall pick in the first round, that was only the beginning for Tampa Bay. In the late second round, the organization grabbed Nikita Kucherov at 58th overall, who’s notched an astounding 994 points in 803 games, including two Stanley Cup championships. However, the Bolts weren’t done there. The franchise struck gold with Ondrej Palat at 208th overall in Round 7. The long-time Lightning winger has notched over 500 career points for two NHL franchises, while also being a critical piece to many Lightning playoff runs over the past decade.
The Current Center Core Was Built a Decade Ago
Believe it or not, the Lightning drafted both of their current top-six centermen outside the first round and over ten seasons ago. In 2014, the Lightning picked Brayden Point at 79th overall in Round 3. The star center has 635 points in 657 career games, including multiple Stanley Cups and a 51-goal campaign in 2022-23. The following season, Tampa Bay drafted two-way beast Anthony Cirelli in the third round at 72nd overall. Cirelli has been a defensive stalwart for the Lightning and was named a Selke Trophy finalist this season for the league’s most skilled defensive forward.
More Late Round Picks
On top of landing Cirelli in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Lightning found Mathieu Joseph in the fourth round. He won the Stanley Cup with the Lightning before being sent to the Ottawa Senators for Nick Paul, the team’s current third-line center. Joseph has carved out a respectable NHL career and was a valuable depth piece to the Lightning in his early NHL days. Then, the Lightning found a clutch hero in the fourth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. That’s 2021 Stanley Cup game-winning goal-scorer Ross Colton, who was selected with the 118th pick. With 152 points in 331 games, Colton earned himself a payday with the Colorado Avalanche and serves as a solid middle-six forward.
Lastly, Nick Perbix, whose contract expires this summer, was picked 169th overall by the Bolts in 2017. He worked extremely hard to climb up the organizational ladder and served as an effective third-pairing defenseman for the team this past season. While his future with the organization is in jeopardy, he’s another prime example of the Lightning’s strong drafting abilities in the later rounds.
Fans Never Know What’s Out There
Despite not having a first-round pick, I hope this article left you with some optimism heading into the 2025 NHL Draft. There aren’t many better teams at landing late-round talent than the Lightning, as their scouting department makes every draft pick notable and worthwhile. Tampa Bay won’t have a first-round selection again until the 2028 NHL Draft, so buckle up for at least a few more seasons of competitive Bolts hockey.
