Armed with elite vision and a standout resume, Tampa Bay’s hopeful goaltending gem heads to North Dakota to compete for a National Championship.
Some exceptional goaltenders have come out of the NHL Draft’s seventh round. Dustin Wolf, Joey Daccord and Frederik Andersen are three of them more recent names. In a few years time, there will likely be another: Caleb Heil.
Taken 193rd overall by the Lightning this past summer, Heil is a complete package. At 6 foot 2 and 207 pounds, Heil has the physical gifts to succeed. What elevates his game comes however, is elite vision and exceptional agility.
Heil sees the game at a deep level, anticipating screens and accurately predicting the play’s evolution in real time. I personally saw him navigate multiple six man net front scrums during series clinching playoff games. His lateral movement is very impressive, rarely cheating off his posts. As the stakes get higher, Heil gets better.
The reigning USA Hockey Dave Peterson Goaltender of the Year notched a USHL best .944 save percentage through 11 postseason games with the Madison Capitols. This was enough for to upset regular season champion Youngstown and came a game away from downing Muskegon. That percentage is made more remarkable because Madison did not reach the Clark Cup Final.
After four years of junior hockey between Sioux Falls and Wisconsin's capital, Heil heads to North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks have a deep goaltending room which Heil's presence elevates. Alex Scheiwiller arrives with junior standing via the Alberta Junior Hockey League's (AJHL) Canmore Eagles while Jan Špunar is back for his sophomore season. It's not a stretch for Heil to capture the starter's crease down the stretch and when he gets hot, it's difficult to throw him off.
Further confirmation that Heil is the real deal was displayed at a higher level than college hockey. Tampa Bay’s seventh round pick already had a taste of the professional level–and thrived! In a Sept. 24, 2025, preseason clash with the Nashville Predators, Heil played the third period, overtime, and shootout going a perfect seven for seven. That type of opportunity–and success is almost unheard of in the modern era.
It's no wonder that Heil is one of my favorites for the Tim Taylor Award, given annually to college hockey's best freshman. If he were to emerge on top in the voting, Heil would be the first goaltender to win the award since Devon Levi in 2022. Fans could also see Heil garner a few votes for the Mike Richter Award, handed out to the NCAA's Best Goaltender.
As I have written about previously, North Dakota's blue line is among the best in the nation. Having Heil in the mix puts their goaltending rotation in that same category. Defense wins championships, and Heil could help anchor one in Grand Forks as a freshman nonetheless.
