The Tampa Bay Lightning have inked prospect Gabriel Szturc to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The deal will kick in during the 2024-25 NHL season.
Szturc was previously undrafted, but joined the Lightning for development camp last July. He then re-joined the club for the Southeast Rookie Showcase tournament in September before getting in some pre-season action with the club during training camp.
Szturc is in the midst of his final season of major junior, and currently has 27 goals and 67 points in 53 games as captain of the Kelowna Rockets. He’s on pace for 79 points, which would match his total in 56 games with the Rockets last season.
Szturc, a native of Czechia, helped his country take home silver at the 2023 World Junior Championship in Halifax, and also won bronze at the U-17 World Hockey Challenge in 2019. Szturc does have some pro hockey experience back home, but failed to register a point in 13 games with BK Mlada Boleslav over a two-year stretch.
Szturc is an energetic forward who plays a strong defensive game. While he has put up quite a bit of offense in his career, he’s more of a dependable player in his own zone.
Szturc is expected to join Tampa’s minor league program for 2024-25, either with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch or the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears. The same could be said for center Milo Roelens, who inked his ELC with the Bolts on Friday.
The Lightning currently sit in the top wild-card spot with 65 points – one clear of the Detroit Red Wings. The Bolts have a five-point buffer over the New Jersey Devils as the first team out, and they’re three points behind Toronto for the third spot in the Atlantic.
Tampa Bay will welcome the Montreal Canadiens to town on Saturday before getting a bit of a break ahead of their next game against Calgary on March 7.
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