NHL Draft: Lightning wrap up Day 2 in Vancouver with 6 picks
TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning selected three forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender on the second day of the NHL Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia. The day started with the Lightning trading forward J.T. Miller to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for two draft picks and goaltender Marek Mazanec.
In the third round, with the 71st overall pick that the Lightning acquired from Vancouver earlier in the day, the Bolts selected goaltender Hugo Alnefelt from HV71 of the Swedish SuperElit League. The 6-foot-3, 183-pound goaltender appeared in 24 games for HV71 in 2018-19, posting a 2.59 goals-against average and .905 save percentage. He also played in two games in the J18 Elit, recording a 2.01 goals-against average and .942 save percentage. The Swedish netminder also played at the 2019 IIHF Under-18 World Championships for his home country in backstopping them to the Gold Medal, compiling a 2.75 goals-against average and .921 save percentage to go along with one shutout.
With the Bolts’ second pick in the third round, 89th overall, Tampa Bay drafted forward Maxim Cajkovic of the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. The 5-foot-11, 186-pound forward played in 60 games for Saint John in his rookie season in 2018-19, recording 22 goals and 46 points to go along with 40 penalty minutes. Cajkovic ranked first on the Sea Dogs for goals and points and was second for assists. The Bratislava, Slovakia native ranked third among all QMJHL rookies for goals and fifth for points.
The Lightning selected defenseman Max Crozier from the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL in the fourth round, 120th overall. Crozier, 19, skated in 60 games for the Stampede, registering 10 goals and 43 points to go along with 132 penalty minutes. The Calgary, Alberta native ranked tied for fourth among all USHL defensemen for assists (33), fifth for goals and sixth for points. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound defenseman also appeared in 12 playoff games, posting four goals and 11 points, helping Sioux Falls to the Clark Cup Championship. Crozier is committed to play at Providence College for the 2019-20 season.
In the sixth round, 182nd overall, the Lightning selected defenseman Quinn Schmiemann from the Kamloops Blazers of the WHL. Schmiemann, 17, skated in 58 games with the Blazers during the 2018-19 season, recording five goals and 28 points to go along with 30 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound defenseman ranked second among all WHL rookie defensemen for points last year. The Wilcox, Saskatchewan native also played in six WHL playoff games last season, posting a pair of assists.
The Bolts selected forward Mikhail Shalagin from Spartak-2 of the MHL with the 198th overall selection in the seventh round. The 6-foot-4, 164-pound forward skated in 43 games with Spartak Moskva, registering 48 goals and 75 points to go along with 77 penalty minutes. He led the MHL for goals and was the league’s MVP.
With the Lightning’s final pick at the 2019 NHL Draft, 213th overall, Tampa Bay selected forward McKade Webster from the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL. Webster, 18, missed most of the 2018-19 season because of injury, but posted a pair of assists in six games. The St. Louis, Missouri native skated in 58 games for the Gamblers in 2017-18, registering 11 goals and 30 points. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound forward is committed to play at the University of Denver next season.
