The Tampa Bay Lightning recalled Luke Schenn, Cory Conacher and Alexander Volkov from the minor leagues as they deal with last night’s injuries. Victor Hedman and Pat Maroon both left the game and did not return, though they have been listed as day-to-day, along with Anthony Cirelli.
While Schenn has more than 700 games of NHL experience and Conacher has been around professional hockey for a decade, Volkov’s name is the most interesting one of the group.
The 22-year-old forward was picked by the Lightning in the 2017 draft and has excelled in the minor leagues for the last two seasons. This year in training camp he came close to securing a roster spot but ended up back in the AHL with the Syracuse Crunch. After three points in his first three games for that team, he’ll try his hand at the NHL level for the first time.
The Lightning continue to produce NHL-caliber players through their strong development system, filling in the gaps behind their stars on the roster. Volkov is just the latest player drafted outside the first round to get an opportunity, however short. He joins Mathieu Joseph, Ondrej Palat, Brayden Point, Nikita Kucherov, Alex Killorn, Cedric Paquette and Cirelli as Lightning draft picks from round two or later on the current roster.
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