Lightning sign goaltending prospect to an entry-level contract

Fresh off of a Western Hockey League championship, and playoff MVP honors, Medicine Hat Tigers’ goaltender Harrison Meneghin kept the good times rolling as he signed his entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Monday. Despite the passing of his father in late March, the 20-year-old netminder went 14-1 with a .906 SV% and 2.35 GAA in the playoffs as the Tigers rolled through the WHL playoffs, eventually defeating the Spokane Chiefs in five games to pick up the sixth championship in franchise history.

There is no rest for the Lightning’s seventh-round pick in 2024 as he and his teammates head to Quebec to face Rimouski, the host of the 2025 Memorial Cup, as the tournament to crown the best team in the Candian Hockey League kicks off on Friday. Along with Rimouski, Medicine Hat will face the Moncton Wildcats and London Knights over the next week to determine which team will reign supreme in junior hockey.

The British Columbia native caught the Lightning’s eye with a 53-start season for Lethbridge in 2023-24, dragging an average team into the playoffs with a .919 SV% and 2.59 GAA. He was traded to Medicine Hat from Lethbridge in October of this season and became a key piece in Medicine Hat’s run to the championship as he posted a 23-9-2 record in the regular season with a .901 SV% and 2.56 GAA. With Meneghin providing the stopping power in net, and 17-year-old phenom Gavin McKenna (129 points in 56 games) providing the offense, the Tigers were able to cap off a championship season with the WHL title.

Meneghin will likely start his pro career next season in Syracuse. He could return to Alberta for one more junior season, but his steadiness in net over the last two seasons, and the dearth of goaltending prospects in the Lightning system gives him an excellent opportunity to catch on with the Crunch as Brandon Halverson’s back-up, especially if Matt Tomkins signs elsewhere. The Lightning have struggled to develop goaltenders of late with two of their more recent picks, Amir Miftakhov and Hugo Alnefelt, leaving North America after a brief stay to play in Russia and Sweden respectively.

The 6’3″ goaltender has good reflexes and is a fundamentally sound player. He doesn’t wow anyone with his athleticism, but plays his position well and can handle the puck behind the net. There are some questions about his ability to control rebounds and track pucks through screens, but his calmness in the crease helps him stay in position to make follow-up saves on second chance opportunities. Right now, his ceiling is likely as a back-up NHL goaltender, but if he can improve his consistency at the pro level, he could be a nice find for the Bolts as Andrei Vasilevskiy starts to head into the back half of his contract.

With Vasilevskiy and Jonas Johansson under contract for the next few seasons, there is no need to rush Meneghin through the system, so he should have some time to develop at Syracuse or Orlando. Hopefully, he can buck the recent trend with Lightning goaltending prospects and eventually make his way to Tampa to contribute.