TAMPA — The Lightning do an exemplary job of not rushing their prospects to the NHL before they’re ready. As an organization, they realize that development takes time. Still, their message to prospects at AHL Syracuse consistently is that the opportunity exists for players to make the jump when they are ready.
Last season, two players on the Crunch’s opening-night roster — defensemen Nick Perbix and Darren Raddysh — earned promotions to the Lightning. They ended the season playing important minutes and are now established pieces of the NHL club.
This offseason, prospect Gage Goncalves, who will be entering his third season at Syracuse, saw the holes the Lightning had to fill at forward. He saw, too, how general manager Julien BriseBois quickly filled them with veteran players on the first day of free agency.
“You see it on Twitter and stuff, but I try to not think of it too much,” said Goncalves, a second-round pick (62nd overall) in 2020. “I mean, for me, it’s going to be the same goal regardless of whether they have all 13 to 12 spots full or whether they have five or four open.
“They’ve pulled in a lot of top guys, a lot of veterans and stuff like that, but I’m still going to try and win a spot and prove myself. It’s not just going to be like, ‘Oh, they’ve got their spots filled. That’s their team for now.’ I’m going to try and just make it as hard as possible for management to send me down, and when camp comes in September we’ll just see what happens.”
Goncalves, 22, has made steady progress over his two seasons in the AHL, just as he worked from being a fourth-line player in juniors — passed by in his first year of draft eligibility — to establish himself as a prospect in his second professional season.
Goncalves was third on the Crunch with 54 points last season, and while his goal numbers went down (from 17 in 2021-22 to 13), he established himself as a playmaker with 41 assists — second on the team and up considerably from 15 in his first AHL season.
“He’s close, very close,” said Stacy Roest, the Lightning’s assistant general manager/player development director and the GM for Syracuse. “His conditioning is getting better. He’s getting stronger, and you can just tell he’s getting mature. His turnovers were less. He got a little more ice time — obviously that helps, playing in bigger situations, more power-play time. It’s just his hockey sense, his smarts, he’s very competitive. So he’s trending up very fast.”
Goncalves said he developed strong chemistry with linemates Alex Barre-Boulet and Simon Ryfors, and that helped increase his confidence on the ice. He began receiving more time on the first power-play unit. Another season working closely with the organization’s skating coach, Barb Underhill, and skill development director Mike Ellis also helped, Goncalves said.
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/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/JOX6MSJ6FNFWDDMLABL756BOKI.JPG "Lightning prospects Gage Goncalves, on knee, and Jaydon Dureau, leaning over, talk while participating in the organization's development camp earlier this month in Tampa.")
Goncalves closed the regular season with 14 points, including 12 assists, in his last 10 games. In the first-round playoff series against Rochester, he had a two-goal game in Game 2 as Syracuse jumped out to a 2-0 series lead. He had three points in Game 3, the first of three straight the Crunch dropped to lose the series.
“Something kind of clicked (midseason), and I just got really comfortable with my linemates with how much time we were playing,” Goncalves said. “And yeah, I think my consistency at the end of the year was big. I think a lot of the coaching staff and obviously the linemates and everybody helped me with that a lot.
“I think my mental side of the game took another step last year. I think just kind of the way I prepare and how I kind of break down games after with the coaching staff or with Barb or Mike, finding little stuff during the games that I might be able to help myself out with.”
This is a big season for Goncalves. It’s the final year of his entry-level contract, so he will become a restricted free agent after the season. Goncalves said he’s focused on his body composition and continuing to improve his skating. “I’ve got to take another big step to keep up,” he said. “I mean, Tampa was one of the fastest teams, and with the guys they just added, they keep getting faster. So, you’ve got to be quick to crack the lineup.”
Said Roest, “It takes time for a lot of these players. The American League, people underestimate that league. It’s tough. It’s a hard league to do well. And once you start doing well in that league, and every night you’re one of the better players, usually you’re in the NHL pretty soon, right? So, we’re hoping that he’s ready to take that step.”
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