The Tampa Bay Lightning recently signed a new prospect into their pool. Milo Roelens, a QMJHL over-ager, joins Tampa Bay’s pipeline with an entry-level contract. Here, Last Word dives right into what Roelens could bring to the table moving forward for a shallow prospect cupboard.
Milo Roelens: From Undrafted to Signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning
Roelens, a 21-year-old centre from the QMJHL, has signed his first pro contract. Joining the Tampa Bay Lightning, the 6’6” and 207 pound forward is in the midst of his best junior season to date. He started playing in the QMJHL in the 2019-20 season, with the Gatineau Olympiques. He scored just two points (one goal, one assist) across 28 games.
The following season, Roelens would play eight games with Gatineau before being dealt to the Sherbrooke Phoenix. In total, he scored 12 points (five goals, seven assists) across 30 games. Finally, in 2021-22, he would get his first full season with one team, playing 47 games with Sherbrooke, scoring 18 points (six goals, 12 assists). Then, he began his break-out. In 2022-23, he would score 59 points (22 goals, 37 assists) in 68 games, leading into this season. Joining the Acadie-Bathurst Titan before the start of the year, he has gone on to score 62 points (25 goals, 37 assists) in 56 games. That’s what ultimately earned him his first pro contract.
Diving Into His Most Recent Game
With the signing, what are the Lightning getting? I watched his most recent game, then looked at every single point he scored this season, to get an idea of his style, and what’s allowed him to have success in juniors. So, to start, let’s break down the skill. He’s a big kid, as shown above. Thus, his skating is labored, and it is evident that he is a step behind in top speed. Yet, he is pretty clean mechanically. While he isn’t moving fast, he’s smooth and can gain speed quickly on his first few steps. He’s still below average, but it’s not a complete hindrance.
That’s important to note, because he has the size. If he can improve his skating even just a bit, that opens the door a bit wider towards getting NHL games. Offensively, he attacked from the perimeter a bit more than I personally wanted to see. He mostly worked down the boards and down below the goal line. Roelens would then push the puck into the slot with his passes, but he was just one for six in this game on those centring passes. Five passes got intercepted.
The Strengths He Displayed
Roelens is a very smart player away from the puck in both the offensive and defensive zones. Off the rush, he knew how to drive the net as the third forward in, often pushing into openings. Just did not get looks in this game. Defensively, he knew how to make himself bigger and take away both shooting and passing lanes. Additionally, he used his long reach extremely well, pushing plays to the outside. That aided him in the neutral zone as well, disrupting three of the opposition’s entry attempts.
Speaking about the neutral zone, Roelens is quite good transitionally. Effectiveness is the right word to describe how his transitional game works, as he just knows where to go and when to make a pass. He was directly involved in six entry attempts, with five gaining the zone with control. As for exiting the defensive zone, he was directly involved in seven attempts, with five exiting with control.
Reviewing His Production
For his 25 goals, almost all of them came from the slot. Milo Roelens just gets open, somehow getting into little windows and escaping the eyes of the defenders despite being the biggest thing on the ice. On top of that, it looks as though he has perfected scoring on rebounds. Excellent hand-eye and reaction time, finding loose pucks so quickly, and pushing it into the back of the net before the goalie has a chance. Granted, some of those goals wouldn’t be possible against NHL talent, but he’s excellent at it in juniors. Then there are times where he can really rip that puck, with some flashy, highlight-reel snipes.
Meanwhile, his assists were less impressive. Of the 38 assists he’s had thus far, 14 were secondary. That leaves 24 primary assists, which is fine, of course. Of those primary assists, seven were off rebounds or were tipped. Now, that leaves 17. Three of those were generated with passes from the neutral zone. Add one more with context, a simple pass to the point, leaves 13 primary assists that Roelens actually set up in-zone, as the primary helper. Nine of them were generated the way I had noticed in the most recent game: Roelens, below the goal line, passing it to the middle.
Roelens’ Potential Impact in the Lightning Organization
At the end of the day, Roelens is likely just an AHL player in the long run. But there are traits in his game that make him an intriguing player. At most, I see Roelens potentially getting games as a bottom six forward, working largely as a defensive specialist. It’s unlikely his offence and transitional skills fully transition to the next level, and the fact that such a big body does not attack the middle himself with the puck is a concern for me. Working from the perimeter and below the goal line can be effective, but it can’t be a main source of pushing for scoring chances.
All things considered, the size, leadership, and smart two-way game coming to the Syracuse Crunch could be very useful. There’s also some potential that he can be an injury call-up in the same ilk as a Cole Koepke, Mitchell Chaffee, or Waltteri Merela. For Bolts fans, it doesn’t bring a lot of excitement, but Milo Roelens is a solid player to watch with the Crunch.
Raw stats via Elite Prospects
Main Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
