The Tampa Bay Lightning 2020 Draft class may not have been great, but they still came away with some strong picks. Here’s a breakdown of who they got with their first four picks! Click HERE for Part Two!
Tampa Bay Lightning Draft Class Deep Dive and Grade
The Tampa Bay Lightning draft was without a first-round selection after dealing them both away for Barclay Goodrow and Blake Coleman. Though those trades paid dividends, and the Lightning wouldn’t want to reverse those trades, this was a very strong draft class to miss out on. However, they had assets to deal, including Alex Killorn and Tyler Johnson. Ultimately, those guys weren’t moved and only one somewhat big deal came to fruition. That was trading the 124th overall pick along with a 2021 2nd round pick to the Montreal Canadiens for the 57th overall selection.
57th Overall Pick: Tampa Bay selects Jack Finley
Pick Grade: B
Jack Finley, listed by Elite Prospects as a 6’5”, 207 pound center for the Spokane Chiefs, was the 63rd ranked prospect by Ben Kerr here at Last Word. In 2018-19, his first full season with Spokane in the WHL, Finley recorded 9 goals and 19 total points in 63 games played. According to Pick224, Finley averaged just under 13 minutes a game that season, so it was no wonder his stats were quite lacklustre. However, he didn’t rely very heavily on the powerplay minutes he received, scoring 7 goals at even-strength, along with 7 even-strength assists (two of which were primary).
In the 2019-20 WHL season, Finley broke out. In 61 games, he put up 57 points, including 19 goals. His ice time didn’t see a dramatic uptick either, averaging just a hair over 15 minutes a game. 47 of his 57 points came at even-strength, which is extremely important. Of those even-strength points, 15 were goals and 21 were primary assists, a massive difference from the year prior. Finley likely will get an additional boost in ice time if and when the WHL season starts back up. His numbers indicate that any raise in ice time can lead directly to results, especially if he gets a massive raise in powerplay time.
Lightning 2020 Draft class scouting report on Finley
For his size, Jack Finley is a good skater. He isn’t shifty, as he needs to work on his edge work and acceleration, but he has a good foundation from which the Lightning can work with. On offense, Finley is creative. For a big man, he has excellent stickhandling abilities. This asset makes him dangerous, as he pairs that stickhandling with strong vision and passing. He has a good overall offensive IQ as well, so he times his play well and makes good decisions with and without the puck, overall.
Finley has a knack for making a pass and then quickly darting to a dangerous area for the return pass and scoring chance. He attacks the net front with regularity, and with his size in juniors, wins the net-front positioning with consistency. Finley scores plenty in tight with his hand-eye, stickhandling, and strong shooting. He does lack scoring ability from a distance, specifically because of his slow release, but that’s something that can be worked on.
Defensively, Finley is a hard-worker. He again shows strong awareness, putting himself in good positioning and having the ability to use his stick to take away scoring chances. Uses his big body effectively to get in front of shots, battle along the boards and help defend the cycle. He’s a hard-working backchecker as well, working his tail off to get back to defend. All-in-all, Finley has top-6 upside, especially if his skating improves. However, the safe bet is that he becomes a middle-6 center with big time penalty killing abilities, and he has a relatively safe floor, thanks to his style on offense, his big frame, and overall well-rounded game. He very easily could project as a future bottom-6 two-way center in the next two to three years.
62nd Overall Pick: Tampa Bay selects Gage Goncalves
Pick Grade: B-
Gage Goncalves was one of my 2020 draft class re-entry players to watch, and if you didn’t read that article, you can find that by clicking his name above. He was one of my favorite “over-age” players to watch after going undrafted in 2019. The 6’1”, 170 pound 19 year old center is a bit slim, but has a frame in which he is still growing into. After putting up just 1 goal and 15 points in 67 games with the Everett Silvertips last year, averaging just under 12 minutes a game, he broke out in a big way.
Goncalves posted 71 points, including 33 goals, in just 60 games this past season. His ice time was risen to over 17 minutes a night, a massive boost to what was a minimal role in 2018-19. It paid dividends for him in the end. Of Goncalves 33 goals, 19 came at even-strength and 14 came via the powerplay. Overall, Goncalves had 47 even-strength points, which is a concern to a degree, as there was some reliance on the extra power play time he received.
Lightning 2020 Draft class scouting report on Goncalves
As said above, I went in-depth on Goncalves’ game in a previous article, but let’s run through it again. Goncalves is a high IQ, creative playmaker. He’s flashy at times, especially in tight areas, and does a good job at driving the net. He also has a decent shot, though he, like Finley, isn’t consistently effective shooting the puck from distance.
The issue with Goncalves is his perimeter game is lacking to the point where he may not be able to translate his game to the next level. Also, he is slim but only an average skater. The same was said about Brayden Point, however, so there’s no need to be overly concerned there. Per Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “Goncalves see’s the ice at a high level and makes creative plays in small areas. Ideally the foot speed gets better for him to look like a real NHL prospect but I like the trajectory.” Could be a steal that falls in line with selections like Point, Anthony Cirelli, Nikita Kucherov, and others that Tampa has made in the past.
85th Overall Pick: Tampa Bay selects Maxim Groshev
Pick Grade: C
The 85th overall selection was received in the trade that brought Goodrow to Tampa at the deadline. With it, the Lightning took the 6’2”, 194 pound Russian winger, Maxim Groshev. In 2019-20, Groshev did something impressive for his age, and that was to secure a spot in the KHL. That’s not an easy task for a young player in the top Russian league. He played 36 games in the KHL and recorded 1 goal and 7 points in that span. Yes, the numbers aren’t great, but again, holding a role in the KHL at 18 is no easy task. With the KHL resuming play for the 2020-21 season already, he’s had a chance to get some games in ahead of the draft. Thus far, he’s played 11 KHL games recording an assist.
Lightning 2020 Draft Class scouting report on Groshev
Groshev’s best asset is his skating ability. He has a great top speed, winning races with regularity in the Russian hockey circuits. Being able to move at his speed, with his technically sound stride, and also being shifty on his edges is an asset every team looks for in a player. Not to mention, he has excellent size already. Groshev is also a very hard worker, especially on the forecheck. His speed and tenacity when attacking the opposing breakout works regularly and forces tons of turnovers which can directly lead to scoring chances. His playing style, the hard-work, speed, size and willingness to get to the dirty areas generally translates well. This is especially seen with how he loves parking himself in front of the oppositions net for rebounds and deflections.
Groshev also has a strong shooting ability, but with the lack of ice time in the KHL, that hasn’t been showcased often. Groshev uses his size to also fend off defenders with strong puck protection. He can extend plays through the cycle, buying his teammates time to get open. His vision and passing is there, albeit a bit streaky. However, he has the skill and necessary abilities to regularly set up teammates when given a larger role in Russia or, if he decides to, plays in North America.
Consistency is an issue, but the skill is clearly there. Groshev also has two-way ability, playing that tenacious, physical, in-your-face brand of hockey in the defensive zone as well. Again, consistency and lack of ice time didn’t allow him to truly showcase his overall abilities. Seemingly these things led him to go under the radar a bit. Our own Ben Kerr referred to Groshev as a sleeper pick with strong upside, and compared him to the San Jose Sharks’ Timo Meier. If he finds consistency, translates his game well to North America, and continues to work on his playmaking abilities, Groshev could be a massive steal that’s comparable to the Kucherov selection.
93rd Overall Pick: Tampa Bay selects Jack Thompson
Pick Grade: C+
With the final pick in the third round, Tampa Bay selected their first defenseman in this draft. They take Jack Thompson, a 6’0”, 181 pounds, and a right-handed shot. The OHL defenseman from the Sudbury Wolves put up 6 goals and 16 points in 52 games in 2018-19. He followed that up with 13 goals and 32 points in 63 games. 9 of his 13 goals came via even-strength time, while three came on the power play.
Checking in as the 96th ranked prospect by us here at Last Word, Thompson is known for his skating abilities. His edgework is excellent, he can skate at high speed both forwards and backwards. He can stop on a dime and close gaps with efficiency. His skating opens his skillset wide open, and has been the difference for him thus far. Thompson’s skating opens up his offensive game as well, using it effectively to open passing and shooting lanes. However, he often makes poor decisions, which was also touched on by Ben Kerr, where he turns the puck over a bit more than teams would really like.
Defensively, Thompson does not stand out. However, it is clear that he has progressed throughout the year with more responsibility. His positioning in the d-zone needs continued improvement, as does his tendency to puck watch. Overall, he works hard, uses his stick well, and willingly throws himself in front of shots. Overall, Thompson will need to be handled well and closely by coaches as he works his way up, but his skill is there to work with. Can he put it all together is the million dollar question.
Return for Part Two of the Tampa Bay Lightning Draft Deep Dive!
To truly dive into the Bolts’ draft, we needed to break things up into two pieces. Click HERE for Part Two, featuring the final five picks and overall draft grade of the Tampa Bay Lightning draft!
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