Lightning land six prospects on Canadian Junior camp roster

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
November 29, 2016

TAMPA, Fla. – The Lightning farm system has been a big driving force behind the franchise’s rise to prominence and the ability to remain in the upper echelon of the league.

While some of the current names in the team’s pipeline may not resonate as some sure-fire blue chip prospects, the team has plenty of talent coming through the ranks. That will be on display once again when the World Junior Championships get underway in December after Tampa Bay landed six players on the selection camp for Team Canada scheduled to be held in Blainville, Quebec, from Dec. 10-14.

Of the 32 players named to the Canadian camp, six were drafted by Tampa Bay – forwards Taylor Raddysh, Brent Howden, Mitchell Stephens, Mathieu Joseph and Anthony Cirelli along with goaltender Connor Ingram. Stephens, Joseph and Cirelli were all part of the 2015 draft class while Howden, Raddysh and Ingram were all drafted in 2015.

Stephens is the only player who played for Canada at last year’s World Junior Championships and is one of five returning players for Canada.

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The World Junior Championships will be held in Toronto and Montreal from Dec. 26-Jan. 5 with the gold medal game in Montreal. Canada will be in a group with the United States, Russia, Latvia and Slovakia with all preliminary games being played in Toronto.

Canada lost in the quarterfinals last year to eventual gold medal champion Finland. Stephens had a goal and two points in five games.

Stephens, who serves as captain for Saginaw in the Ontario Hockey League, has 10 goals and 25 points in 20 games on the season. He was Tampa Bay’s top pick in the 2015 draft.

Raddysh, a second round pick in 2016, has held the lead in the scoring race in the Ontario Hockey league throughout most of the season and held the lead through Nov. 29 with 20 goals and 50 points in 23 games for Erie.

Anthony Cirelli, a third-round pick in 2015, sat 14th in scoring in the OHL as of Nov. 29 with 13 goals and 30 points in 22 games.

Joseph was a fourth round pick in 2015. He sat tied for the league lead with 22 goals for St. John in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and was sixth in league scoring.

Howden, the 27th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has been limited to 13 games on the season due to injury but entered the weekend with 13 goals and 20 points for Moose Jaw in the Western Hockey League.

Ingram was a third-round pick in 2016 out of Kamloops in the WHL. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound, goaltender entered the weekend third in the WHL with a 2.19 goals against average and second with a .932 save percentage.

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