Lightning stockpile prospect talent ahead of draft reentry deadline
Since the Lightning's season ended a month ago, general manager Julien BriseBois has been busy stockpiling young talent for the organization's future.
Ahead of Monday's NHL draft reentry deadline, BriseBois acquired the rights to forward Jack Pridham from the Blackhawks in exchange for a third-round pick in 2027.
Pridham played alongside Lightning prospect Sam O'Reilly during the Kitchener Rangers' run to the Memorial Cup championship. Kitchener won the championship Sunday night in Kelowna, British Columbia, beating Everett 6-2 in the final.
Pridham also starred in his own way as one of the Ontario Hockey League's top offensive players. He ranked among the top five in the league in goals (46, second), power-play goals (16, third) and points (90, fifth).
A third-round pick of the Blackhawks (92nd overall) in 2024, he had to sign an entry-level deal with Chicago or commit to an NCAA program by Monday at 5 p.m.
Unable to sign Pridham, the Blackhawks dealt his rights to the Lightning. In announcing the deal, Tampa Bay noted that Pridham has committed to play college hockey, with his destination to be announced in the coming days. The Lightning will retain his rights through his college career.
Pridham, 20, still has a long way to go to become an NHL player, but his acquisition is the latest move by a Lightning organization that continues to accumulate promising young talent despite a lack of draft-pick inventory.
Tampa Bay has long been a veteran-laden team, and BriseBois hasn't shied away from dealing top-round draft picks in order to upgrade the NHL team at the trade deadline. But he's been equally steadfast in assembling a group of prospects that project to be NHL options sooner rather than later.
Prospects have increasingly seen an NHL opportunity with the Lightning, as was the case last year with center Dominic James.
The 2022 sixth-round pick of the Blackhawks didn't sign with Chicago following his final college season at Minnesota-Duluth. He became a free agent and signed with the Lightning last September. He received an NHL call-up just four games into his pro career at AHL Syracuse and quickly carved out a spot on the Lightning roster. After battling injuries, he was one of the team's best performers in the playoffs.
Last week, the Lightning signed forward Benjamin Rautiainen to a three-year, entry-level deal after a record-setting season playing in Liiga, the top pro league in Finland. Rautiainen this season became the first Liiga player in 31 years to record 70 regular-season points, won league MVP awards voted on both by the media and the players, and helped Tappara to the championship.
As part of Rautiainen's deal, he will attend Lightning training camp this season. If he doesn't make the team out of camp, he will be reassigned to Tappara next season and then become exclusive property of the Lightning in 2027-28.
Meanwhile, the stock of O'Reilly, the 2024 first-round pick acquired from the Oilers in exchange for former first-rounder Isaac Howard, continues to rise.
O'Reilly had a goal and three assists in Kitchener's Memorial Cup final win and became just the fourth Canadian Hockey League player to win league regular-season MVP, league playoff MVP and Memorial Cup MVP awards in the same season. The only others to accomplish that feat were Brad Richards, Corey Perry and Mitch Marner.
After two slide years since signing his entry-level deal in 2024, O'Reilly will begin his pro career this fall. BriseBois has said it might not be long before O'Reilly is an option for the Lightning's NHL roster.
This also was a big weekend for Lightning prospect Noah Steen, a seventh-round pick in 2024 who signed an entry-level contract in March. Steen scored the winning goal in Norway's 3-2 overtime victory against Canada Sunday in the bronze-medal game at the IIHF World Championship, giving the Norwegians their first medal in the tournament.
The Lightning retained the rights to defenseman Jan Golicic, a fourth-round pick in 2024, when he committed to play NCAA hockey at Quinnipiac. They hadn't signed 2024 sixth-rounder Kaden Pitre going into the draft reentry deadline.
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This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 3:41 PM.