NHL Prospect Watch – Tampa Bay Lightning
In the lead-up to the 2023-24 NHL season, we’re taking a look at the current and former WHL talent in each NHL Club’s prospect pool. In this 32-part series, we’ll highlight the WHL players signed to an NHL contract or recently drafted, 25 years of age or younger with 50 or fewer NHL games played. Join us for a brand-new season of NHL Prospect Watch!
We continue with the prospect pool of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Jaydon Dureau
Former Portland Winterhawks forward Jaydon Dureau completed his first full season of professional hockey in 2022-23, splitting time between the Syracuse Crunch of the AHL and Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL. At Syracuse, the product of White City, Sask. scored once in 13 games; he chipped in with 19 points (6G-13A) at the ECHL level in Orlando. As a Winterhawk, Dureau twice eclipsed the 65-point mark during a season, topping out at 70 (19G-51A) during the 2019-20 campaign. He was selected by Tampa Bay in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Sweet pass, sweet finish @jaydon_d15 🔥 pic.twitter.com/GKrY6Gtpxk
— Orlando Solar Bears (@OrlandoHockey) December 15, 2022
Jack Finley
Forward Jack Finley enters his second season of professional hockey with 69 AHL contests under his belt with the Syracuse Crunch. Finley, who hails from Kelowna, B.C., scored 12 times, totalling 21 points in 67 contests with Syracuse last winter. A second-round selection by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 NHL Draft, Finley spent the majority of his WHL career with the Spokane Chiefs, serving as captain during the 2021-22 campaign before a move to the Winnipeg ICE. Overall, he tallied 127 points (55G-72A) in 192 career WHL regular season games.
Jack Finley gets the feed from Gabriel Fortier and the @SyracuseCrunch strike first in #SYRvsROC. pic.twitter.com/C3IaIp5bHv
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) April 5, 2023
Gage Goncalves
Former Everett Silvertips forward Gage Goncalves turned heads with Syracuse of the AHL in 2022-23, finishing third in team scoring with 54 points on the strength of 13 goals and 41 assists. Goncalves, who calls Mission, B.C. home, added three goals and five points during the AHL playoffs. A second-round pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2020 NHL Draft, Goncalves spent his entire WHL career with the Silvertips, scoring 33 times during the 2019-20 campaign. Overall, he collected 120 points (46G-74A) in an Everett sweater over 151 regular season games with the Club.
#BELvsSYR started and ended with goals from Gage Goncalves last night. @SyracuseCrunch pic.twitter.com/u3GYF6h50d
— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) April 1, 2023
Ilya Usau
Belarusian forward Ilya Usau signed a free-agent contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning in March of 2022 and proceeded to earn 16 points (4G-12A) in 57 contests at AHL Syracuse in his first season of North American pro hockey last winter. Usau played one season of WHL hockey in 2019-20 with the Prince Albert Raiders, where he compiled 52 points (22G-30A) in 58 games. Prior to arriving in the Lightning organization, Usau played two full seasons with Dynamo Minsk in the KHL, where he collected 12 goals and 32 points in 96 games.
🚨 1ST AHL GOAL! 🚨
👊 Ilya Usau puts home the rebound for his 1st career AHL goal! Alex Barre-Boulet and Darren Raddysh pick up the assists.
–@SyracuseCrunch pic.twitter.com/wi2sTmHPXQ— Future Bolts (@LightningProsp1) November 20, 2022
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