According to most experts, the Tampa Bay Lightning have one of the shallowest prospect pools in the NHL. Over the past week, the organization added depth by trading for and signing three prospects.
Most experts agree that the organization’s prospect pool is underwhelming, to say the least. They rarely draft in the first round, and had it not been for acquiring Conor Geekie in the trade that sent Mikhail Sergachev to Utah, the Lightning would have just one prospect with the potential to be a difference-maker, unless something surprising happens in development.
However, the Lightning’s signing of these three players at least added to their organizational prospect depth, and there is a chance that one of these players could eventually become one of those difference-makers.
Connor Kurth
On Sunday, March 30, the team signed forward Connor Kurth to a two-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2025-26 season and will report to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Syracuse and play the remainder of the 2024-25 season on an AHL tryout.
Kurth was originally drafted by Tampa Bay in the sixth round, 192nd overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft.
Kurth has set career bests in goals (17), assists (21), and points (38) to tie for second in scoring for Minnesota in 2024-25 after putting up 32 combined points as a freshman and sophomore. The Lindstrom, Minnesota native is the nation’s plus/minus leader at plus-31 and currently leads the Gophers with six instances of three or more points this season, including his first collegiate hat trick on opening night against Air Force (Oct. 11) during the 2024 Ice Breaker Tournament.
He played in 115 career games with the Gophers, scoring 32 goals and 71 points, including six game-winners, and decided to turn pro after the Gophers were defeated by Boston University in the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Hockey Tournament.
Lucas Mercuri
Also on Sunday, the team acquired center Lucas Mercuri from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for a sixth-round selection in the upcoming NHL Draft. The Lightning signed Mercuri to a two-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2025-26 season. He will report to the Crunch and play the remainder of the 2024-25 season on an AHL tryout.
Here's Lucas Mercuri's goal, his first of the season, which actually came just after the Omaha penalty expired. pic.twitter.com/ChULNDkbd8
— UMass Hockey (@UMassHockey) October 12, 2024
Mercuri has spent the past four campaigns with the NCAA’s UMass Minutemen. Through 40 appearances this season, he put up 10 goals and 21 assists to finish fifth in team scoring with 31 points, a plus-14 rating, and 24 penalty minutes. The 2024-25 campaign ended for the Minutemen on Saturday (March 29), following a 2-1 playoff loss to the Western Michigan Broncos. In all, through four seasons with the Minutemen, Mercuri totaled 28 goals and 57 assists for 85 points through 148 career contests.
Cooper Flinton
On March 24, the Lightning signed forward Cooper Flinton to a two-year entry-level contract beginning with the 2025-26 season. He will report to the Crunch and play the remainder of the season on an AHL tryout. He was originally drafted by the Lightning in the seventh round, 211th overall, of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Related: Lightning Prospects Report: Howard, Kurth, Harvey & More
The 21-year-old skated in 32 games with Dartmouth College this season, recording 11 goals and 24 points with two shorthanded tallies and four on the power play. Among all Dartmouth skaters, he ranked fourth for points and assists, while his 11 goals were tied for third. The Auburn, New Hampshire, native appeared in 89 career games with the Big Green, logging 32 goals and 64 points with five game-winners and 11 goals with the man advantage.
In recent years, the Lightning’s prospect pool has focused on quality over quantity. Their championship window remains open, so immediate NHL impact is not the top priority. However, these recent signings indicate that the Lightning would like to add quantity to their shallow prospect pool.
