NHL Prospect Watch: Tampa Bay Lightning

In the lead-up to the 2026-27 hockey season, we’re diving into the WHL prospect pool for every NHL team. To be included in this list, a player must be recently drafted, signed to an NHL contract, or meet the NHL’s criteria for rookie status.

Today, we check in on the 2025 WHL Playoff MVP and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Aiden Foster

Stalwart Prince George Cougars pivot Aiden Foster enjoyed his most productive season yet with the Cats, posting 35 points (14G-21A) in 65 contests. His 113 penalty minutes led the team, while ranking third in faceoff wins with 248 (48.2%). The 6-foot-2, 183-pound centre added another six points (2G-4A) in 10 playoff games. Foster, 19, was selected with the 127th overall pick in the fourth round of the 2025 NHL Draft. Over three seasons in Prince George, the Lloydminster, Alta. product has garnered 62 points (28G-34A) and 373 PIMs in 199 games.

Gabriel Szturc

Former Kelowna Rockets captain Gabriel Szturc nearly matched his rookie-season numbers in his second pro season with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. The 5-foot-11, 194-pound forward logged 19 points (9G-10A) in 60 outings with the Crunch. Szturc, who signed with Tampa Bay as an undrafted free agent in 2024, will look to take another step forward as he enters the final year of his three-year, entry-level deal. Over three seasons with Kelowna, Szturc netted 203 points (73G-130A) in 185 games.

Harrison Meneghin

2025 WHL Playoff MVP Harrison Meneghin donned all three jerseys in the Tampa Bay pipeline in his first season of professional hockey. The 21-year-old spent the bulk of the campaign with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, where he went 4-9-0 with a 3.26 goals-against average and an .889 save percentage before getting called up for one AHL game and, finally, joining the Lightning as a third-string goaltender for the 2026 NHL Playoffs. Meneghin, who stands 6-foot-4, 174 pounds, will look to gain traction with the Crunch in his sophomore campaign. Hailing from South Surrey, B.C., spent parts of four seasons in the WHL with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Medicine Hat Tigers, going 69-42-8-3 with a 2.68 GAA, a .910 save percentage and seven shutouts. He went 14-1-0-0 with a 2.35 GAA, a .906 save percentage and three clean sheets to help the Tabbies hoist the Ed Chynoweth Cup in 2025 and reach the Memorial Cup Final, signing his ELC with the Lightning just days later. He was drafted with the 206th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2024 NHL Draft.