Clear the pucks after practice.
Check.
Clean the team bus, without volunteering.
Gotcha.
No inimical stares - just good ol’ work habits prescribed by his teammates.
It’s all part of being a rookie for Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Mitch Fadden, shifting from youth to maturity with the club’s farm affiliate, the Norfolk Admirals.
How’s the forward’s first taste of the professional ranks?
Bittersweet.
Forget the airy questions about mirroring NHL superstars, or making casual comparisons - Norfolk Admirals forward Dana Tyrell follows his own compass.
However, the Tampa Bay Lightning prospect questioned himself and his future after a right knee injury sidelined him for six months last year.
Tyrell was on a fast track to success, earning a spot on Team Canada while leading the Prince George Cougars squad in scoring, piling up 19 goals and 21 assists in 30 games.
Then, his world would drastically change in the ensuing months.
It's roughly the midpoint of the NHL season, and with the graduations of prospects James Wright and Victor Hedman, and the conclusion of the U20 World Junior Championships, it's time for Bolt Prospects to release its 2009-2010 Midterm Rankings. The Midterm Rankings reflect a significant amount of change for the club, as it has been a year where the team's prospects haven't stuck to the script. Some players have failed to live up to expectations. Other have come out of nowhere to raise their stock. The end result is one of the widest shifts in rankings we've ever had.
Just call him “The Eraser.â€
Already known for his grit and forechecking abilities, Blair Jones has taken his two-way game to another level this year. And Lightning coaches are taking it even further.
In Saturday night’s key Southeast Division clash against the Atlanta Thrashers, Jones, who earlier this month was still playing in AHL Norfolk, got the tap on the shoulder to help kill a first period penalty. It was his first significant action shorthanded this season, and to make matters more intimidating, he was lined up opposite Thrashers superstar Ilya Kovalchuk, who entered the game among NHL goal leaders with 21 and the league’s fifth-best shooting percentage
“Whatever the coaches ask me to do I’m going to do it,†Jones said. “It’s not the most glorifying job to stand in front of one of the hardest shots in the league, but whatever keeps me out on the ice.â€
Bolt Prospects (BP), an online source for Tampa Bay Lightning prospect news since 2005, is pleased to announce a partnership with the Lightning’s official web site, tampabaylightning.com.
Recently the Lightning have increased their coverage of its players and draftees below the NHL level, providing feature stories and prospect camp reviews. Now, with the help of Bolt Prospects, tampabaylightning.com/prospects will add our game night updates covering organizational prospects on three continents, as well as the latest news and links from BP as posted on Twitter.
We at BP would like to thank our loyal readers for their support over the years, and we look forward to bigger and better things in the future.
Go Bolts,
BP Staff