Stock Up, Stock Down & Waltteri Merela's Path to the NHL
Welcome to the THW Tampa Bay Lightning Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Lightning writers.
In today’s edition, we have the latest Lightning stock report, more on Waltteri Merela’s unlikely path to the NHL, and more.
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Lightning Stock Up, Stock Down: Johansson, Kochetkov & More
October 30, 2023 by Jim Bay
Home cooking has been good for the Tampa Bay Lightning. After going 0-2-1 on their first road trip of the season, the Lightning came home and rattled off a 4-0-1 record upon returning to Amalie Arena, culminating with a 6-0 thumping of the winless San Jose Sharks (Oct. 26). The Lightning are now playing more like the team that came out of camp on a mission to reverse last season’s early exit in the playoffs.
After some renewed focus for the Lightning in their practice the following Monday, they posted back-to-back shutouts against the Sharks and the Carolina Hurricanes (Oct. 24). While beating the winless Sharks was nice, the win against the Hurricanes was even more impressive as they held a team in check that will likely be a contender to win the Metropolitan Division this season.
Lightning’s Waltteri Merela’s Path From Undrafted to NHL Roster
October 26, 2023 by Joel Enns
When the Tampa Bay Lightning announced their opening-night roster on Oct. 9, there were plenty of familiar names. Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, and Nikita Kucherov are staples on the roster. There is always some offseason turnover, which creates an opportunity for new players to shine. Among the new additions, one name stuck out: Waltteri Merela. The 25-year-old rookie had never played in any North American league before this season, let alone the NHL, so how did he get here?
Lightning: 5 Best Yzerman-Era Draft Picks
June 25, 2023 by Eugene Helfrick
Throughout his tenure with the Tampa Bay Lightning, general manager Steve Yzerman found great success at the draft. Even if he struggled at times with first-round picks, his team of scouts consistently pulled top talent out of all levels of the draft.
Since he has departed Tampa Bay for the Detroit Red Wings, let’s look back at some of the best picks made by Yzerman during his near-decade at the helm of the Lightning.