30 in 30: Top prospects for Tampa Bay Lightning

NHL.com is providing in-depth prospect analysis for each of its 30 teams throughout August. Today, the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The Tampa Bay Lightning farm system isn’t what it was five years ago, but it has promising young forwards who have well-rounded skill sets, including center Brett Howden, the No. 27 pick of the 2016 NHL Draft.

Tampa Bay, which reached the Stanley Cup Final in 2015 and the Eastern Conference Final last season, continues to emphasize skating over size and high hockey IQ over raw talent.

Here are the Lightning’s top five prospects, according to NHL.com:

1. Brayden Point, C

How acquired: Selected with No. 79 pick of 2014 NHL Draft

Last Season: Moose Jaw (WHL): 48 GP, 35-53-88

It’s clear the Lightning are extremely high on Point, so much so they asked for his input before selecting Brett Howden in the 2016 draft.

What Point, 20, lacks in size (5-foot-10, 160 pounds), he makes up for by being a dynamic puck-handler and a playmaker on the power play. He has been a scoring machine for Moose Jaw with 324 points (134 goals, 190 assists) in four-plus seasons. Point brings effort every time he’s on the ice, and it’s easy to make comparisons to Lightning center Tyler Johnson. Point played nine games for Syracuse of the American Hockey League near the end of the 2014-15 season (two goals, two assists in nine games) and will make the full-time jump to the AHL this season.

Projected NHL arrival: Next season

2. Slater Koekkoek, D

How acquired: Selected with No. 10 pick of 2012 NHL Draft

Last Season: Tampa Bay: 9 GP, 0-1-1; Syracuse (AHL): 60 GP, 5-10-15

When the Stanley Cup …

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