Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers Start Prospect Showcase Tournament on Friday

The 2022 NHL Prospects Showcase begins September 16^th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Carolina Hurricanes, and Nashville Predators prospects will face-off against each other throughout the 4-day tournament.

The Florida Panthers will have four AHL players on the roster for the tournament in forward Patrick Giles, forward Ethan Keppen, defenseman Dennis Cesana, and defenseman Zachary Uens.  Meanwhile, the Lightning will have several recognizable guys in forward Gabriel Fortier and forward Grant Mismatch, who they received from Nashville in the McDonough trade, and goalie Hugo Alnefelt. Forward Lucas Edmonds, the Lightning’s 3^rd round pick from this year, will also be on the roster.

What determines a prospect:

• Any skater or goaltender in each of the four organizations on an entry-level contract (or less), provided they are 24 or younger and have less than 20 games of NHL experience, are eligible to participate in the Showcase
• Teams will dress 18 skaters and two goaltenders for each contest.

Structure of Tournament:

• Games begin Friday September 16^th and end Monday September 19^th
• All 4 teams will play one another.
• Games are regulation length with three 20-minute periods. A five-minute, three-on-three overtime period will determine a winner if games are tied after regulation. Games will conclude with a five-player-per-team shootout regardless of the final score.
• All the Games can be seen live online at CarolinaHurricanes.com

Schedule:

Friday, Sept. 16

10 a.m. – Carolina Hurricanes vs. Florida Panthers (Invisalign Arena)

1 p.m. – Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Nashville Predators (Invisalign Arena)

Saturday, Sept. 17

Practice Day

Sunday, Sept. 18

10 a.m. – Carolina Hurricanes vs. Nashville Predators (PNC Arena)

1 p.m. – Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers (PNC Arena)

Monday, Sept. 19

10 a.m. – Nashville Predators vs. Florida Panthers (PNC Arena)

1 p.m. – Carolina Hurricanes vs. Tampa Bay Lightning (PNC Arena)

After the prospect tournament, both the Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers players will return to their respective cities to begin training camp the following week. The Florida Panthers 1^st preseason game is a split squad game at the Nashville Predators on Monday September 26^th.  The Tampa Bay Lightning open their preseason slate of games on Tuesday September 27^th at the Carolina Hurricanes.