Slater Koekkoek turning up heat for Lightning

ELLENTON, Fla. – Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Slater Koekkoek is beginning to get used to the Florida lifestyle. If things go well, he’ll be playing in the Sunshine State for years to come.

Koekkoek, 22, from North Dundas, Ontario, played in nine games for the Lightning last season, and spent the entire Eastern Conference First Round against the Detroit Red Wings as a member of the team’s “black aces.”

However, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Second Round series against the New York Islanders, Koekkoek was in the lineup and played in 10 of the team’s final 11 Stanley Cup playoff games, eventually pushing veteran Matt Carle to the bench and increasing his ice time with each appearance.

In Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Koekkoek had a season-high 15:22 of ice time. The Lightning lost 2-1 to the eventual Stanley Cup Champions, but Koekkoek gained confidence going through the experience and is preparing for his first full season in the NHL.

“I was just so excited to be out there on the ice for the playoffs, it was a dream come true,” Koekkoek said. “And it’s something I have worked hard for. It was tough to finish the way we did because we got so close and it was pretty hard to watch the [Stanley Cup] Final, because we almost made it. But I just wanted to have fun with it and play hard when I got the chance.”

Koekkoek, the No. 10 pick in the 2012 NHL Draft, is in line for a significant role with …

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