Lightning busy in Day 2 of 2018 NHL draft, select 7 players
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning made seven selections during day two of the 2018 NHL Draft at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. In total, the Lightning selected two forwards, three defensemen and two goaltenders.
The Lightning opened the day by selecting forward Gabriel Fortier from the Baie-Comeau Drakkar of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in the second round, 59th overall. The 5-foot-10, 190-pound forward skated in 66 games with Baie-Comeau last season, recording 26 goals and 59 points to go along with 59 penalty minutes. Fortier, 18, ranked third on the team for goals and was second for assists (33) and points. The Lachine, Quebec native has appeared in 91 career QMJHL games, all with Drakkar over the past two seasons, posting 37 goals and 76 points.
In the third round the Bolts drafted defenseman Dmitry Semykin from Stupino 2 of the Russian Jr. League with the 90th overall selection. Last season Semykin recorded eight goals, 15 points and 118 penalty minutes in 41 games. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound defenseman also played in three games for Russia at the U18 World Championships, notching one assist and four penalty minutes.
The Bolts selected defenseman Alex Green from Cornell University in the fourth round, 121st overall. Green, 20, skated in 29 games for Cornell during his freshman season in 2017-18, posting two goals and 10 points to go along with 23 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-2, 178-pound defenseman played three seasons in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars and Muskegon Lumberjacks, registering a goal and 17 points prior to playing at Cornell last season.
In the fifth round, the Lightning drafted goaltender Magnus Chrona from Nacka HK of Sweden’s Jr. 18 League with the 152nd overall pick. Chrona, 17, appeared in 15 games with Nacka HK of the Swedish Junior Elite League last season, posting a 2.13 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound goaltender also played in seven games with Nacka HK Junior Club, recording a 1.14 goals-against average and .954 save percentage.
The Lightning selected forward Cole Koepke from the Sioux City Musketeers of the USHL in the sixth round, 183rd overall. Koepke, 20, appeared in 60 games with the Musketeers last season, collecting 28 goals and 39 points to go along with 34 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound forward ranked first on Sioux City and fifth in the USHL for goals. The Hermantown, Minnesota native also ranked tied for second in the USHL with four shorthanded tallies. Koepke signed a letter of intent with defending NCAA national champion University of Minnesota-Duluth in November 2017.
The Bolts made two selections in the seventh and final round of the draft. With the 206th overall pick, the Lightning drafted defenseman Radim Salda from the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. Salda, 19, appeared in 62 games for the Sea Dogs last season, posting 10 goals and 41 points to go along with 78 penalty minutes. The Pardubice, Czech Republic native ranked first in the QMJHL among rookie defensemen for points. Salda was named to the 2017-18 QMJHL All Rookie Team. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound defenseman also skated in seven games for the Czech Republic at the 2018 World Jr. Championships.
With their final pick at the 2018 NHL Draft, the Lightning selected goaltender Ty Taylor from the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League, 214th overall. Taylor, 18, appeared in 31 games for the Vipers, earning a record of 23-5-3 to go along with a 1.87 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound goaltender led the BCHL for goals-against average and save percentage and was third for wins.
