Tampa Bay Lightning prospects on the move

by Erik Erlendsson | @Erik_Erlendsson | Like us on Facebook
January 9, 2017

The trade deadline for the Ontario Hockey League comes on Tuesday, but there was some notable action taking place on Monday.

Among the moves that took place, three Tampa Bay Lightning prospects were on the move. Of the three, two recently captured a silver medal with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships that concluded a week ago.

{mprestriction ids=”1,2″}

The biggest move comes from center Anthony Cirelli, who goes from Oshawa to Erie. Cirelli joins fellow Lightning prospect Taylor Raddysh, who was also a member of the Canada World Junior team. Cirelli, who was named one of Canada’s top three players at the World Juniors, was a walk-on at Oshawa who worked his way up to serve as team captain this season. He was also the hero in the Memorial Cup championship game, scoring both goals including the winner in overtime in 2015.

Erie also has Dylan Strome, the No. 3 overall pick in 2015 behind Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel, along with Alex DeBrincat, who leads the OHL in scoring as the Otters try to take a run at an elusive Memorial Cup run.

Also on the move was Mitchell Stephens who moved from Saginaw to powerhouse London. Stephens, Tampa Bay’s top pick in the 2015 draft, was also a key part of Canada’s World Junior team despite missing two games with an ankle injury. He figures to be a key acquisition for a London team looking to repeat as Memorial Cup champions.

Both Cirelli and Stephens have already signed their respective NHL Entry level deals and figure to start their professional careers next season. One or both could join Syracuse once their junior seasons are complete.

The third Lightning prospect on the move is 2016 fifth-round pickdraft pick Chris Paquette who went from Niagara to Peterborough, which has been a landing spot for a few Lightning prospects in the past few seasons. Paquette will join two other Tampa Bay prospects with the Petes, Matt Spencer and Jonne Tammela, who has missed all but two games this season due to injury.

{/mprestriction}