Prospect Camp Shows Lightning Depth in Goal

No one quite knew what to expect from the group of Tampa Bay Lightning prospects in the recent four-team prospect camp that was conducted at the Advent HealthCenter Ice in Wesley Chapel.

The Lightning didn’t have a first-round selection participating on their roster and were the youngest team in the event.

“For a lot of them,” Syracuse Crunch Head Coach and General Manager Joel Bouchard, who coached the Tampa Bay squad, said prior to the three-game competition, “it’s their first time, and it’s a good opportunity for them to showcase themselves.”

That was certainly the case for Lightning goalies Harrison Meneghin and Caleb Heil, who both played well in helping Tampa Bay to a 2-1 finish.

“Both goaltenders,” Bouchard said after watching each play a game, “in both games looked solid.”

Meneghin opened the tournament with a 3-2 loss to Nashville, but that loss came with a couple of notable things to consider.

First, the Predators had seven first-round draft selections on their roster.

Secondly, Meneghin allowed just one five-on-five goal in that game, as Nashville scored on a power play, as well as a penalty shot.

“We had two young (goaltenders) in a tournament, where there was high-end talent,” Bouchard said.

The 19-year-old Heil got the Lightning’s first win, as his team topped Florida 3-2 on Saturday, which was Meneghin’s 21st birthday, interestingly enough.

Meneghin shook off an injury in a shootout on Friday against Nashville and closed the tournament with a 5-1 win over the Hurricanes.

Just as in the loss to Nashville, Meneghin’s performance came with an asterisk.

Carolina’s lone goal was on a 5-on-3 power play.

“They made some saves in key moments,” Bouchard continued. “Both of them (and) that was fun to see.”

Bouchard admitted that the franchise wanted to take a little deeper look at Meneghin, given that he is two years older than Heil.

Both were seventh-round selections in 2024 (Meneghin) and 2025, respectively.

“For a kid who hasn’t played a full game this year,” Bouchard said of Meneghin, “I thought he did really well. He made some big saves early (against Nashville). He was solid in key moments.

“So, for (Meneghin), like everybody else, it’s a work in progress.”

Both Heil and Meneghin will remain in Tampa for the Lightning training camp, which opens with practices on Thursday.

The two goaltenders are among a six-goaltender group, along with Andrei Vasilevsky, Jonas Johansson, Brandon Halverson, and Ryan Fanti.

Fanti, Johansson, and Halverson were each acquired through free agency, while Vasilevsky was a first-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft. However, Bouchard said the Lightning organization is going to assess each player on their merits, not how they came to the team.

“Some guys get drafted in the seventh round,” Bouchard said, “and they never thought that they would get drafted, so they are excited. Some guys get drafted in the seventh round, and they are disappointed because they felt they should have been drafted before they were.

“The reality is that it doesn’t matter. Being drafted or even coming in as an invite, it is an opportunity to get an opportunity. The reality is that they are in the fight of hockey, which is pretty tough. Nobody is going to give them anything for free.”