Lightning land 9 players in final 6 rounds of draft
TAMPA BAY, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Lightning made nine selections during day two of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY today. In total, the Lightning selected six forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender.
The Lightning opened the day making three selections in the second round. The Lightning traded defenseman Anthony DeAngelo to the Arizona Coyotes and acquired their 37th overall pick which the Bolts used to select defenseman Libor Hajek. The 6-foot-2, 196-pound defenseman skated in 69 games with the Saskatoon Blades of the Western Hockey League last season, recording three goals and 26 points to go along with 76 penalty minutes. He led all Saskatoon rookies for points and assists with 23. The Smrcek, Czech Republic native was selected second overall at the 2015 Canadian Hockey League Import Draft.
With the 44th overall selection, the Lightning drafted forward Boris Katchouk. The Waterloo, Ontario native played 63 games for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds last season, posting 24 goals and 51 points to go along with 61 penalty minutes. Katchouk, 18, ranked fourth on the Greyhounds for points and was fifth among all OHL rookies for scoring. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound forward was tied for the team lead with six goals during the 2016 OHL playoffs.
The Bolts selected forward Taylor Raddysh with the 58th pick in the draft. Raddysh, 18, played in 58 games with the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League last season, recording 24 goals and 73 points to go along with 18 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-2, 203-pound forward ranked third on the Otters for scoring. The Caledon, Ontario native opened the 2015-16 season on a nine-game point streak, posting five goals and 14 points over that stretch.
The Lightning selected goaltender Connor Ingram in the third round, 89th overall. Ingram, 19, appeared in 61 games with the Kamloops Blazers of the Western Hockey League, posting a 34-15-9 record to go along with a 2.61 goals-against average and .922 save percentage. The 6-foot, 212-pound goaltender ranked fourth for save percentage and seventh for goals-against average in the WHL. The Imperial, Saskatchewan native also ranked tied for fifth in the WHL for shutouts with four.
With the 118th overall pick in the fourth round, the Lightning selected forward Ross Colton from the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL. Colton, 19, skated in 55 games with Cedar Rapids, posting 35 goals and 66 points to go along with 79 penalty minutes. The Robbinsville, New Jersey native ranked second in the USHL for points and goals. The 6-foot, 190-pound forward also ranked tied for eighth in the league with nine power-play goals.
The Lightning drafted forward Christopher Paquette in the fifth round, 148th overall. Paquette, 18, played in 57 games with the Niagara IceDogs of the OHL, registering five goals and 16 points to go along with 18 penalty minutes. The Kingston, Ontario native has recorded 12 goals and 30 points in 111 career OHL games over two seasons with Niagara. Paquette is a cousin of current Bolt Cedric Paquette.
With the 178th overall selection in the sixth round, the Bolts selected defenseman Oleg Sosunov. The Ryazan, Russia native skated in 39 games with Loko-Yunior of the Russia Jr. 2 league, recording four goals and 12 points to go along with 66 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound defenseman also appeared in three games with Yaroslavl of the Russia Jr. League.
The Lightning selected forward Otto Somppi with the 206th overall pick in the seventh round. Somppi, 18, skated in 59 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, recording 13 goals and 46 points to go along with 25 penalty minutes. The Helsinki, Finland native ranked second on the Mooseheads for goals, assists and points. The 6-foot, 180-pound forward ranked eighth in the QMJHL for points among all rookies.
With their final pick, 208th overall in the seventh round, the Bolts drafted forward Ryan Lohin. The 6-foot, 193-pound forward recorded 23 goals and 57 points in 62 USHL games, splitting time between the Madison Capitols and Waterloo Black Hawks. The Chester, Pennsylvania native ranked tied for eighth in the USHL for points and assists.
