The Tampa Bay Lightning's American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, clinched a spot in the playoffs just over a week ago. A big part of the reason for their success this season can be attributed to Jakob Pelletier's offensive production.
Pelletier, who joined the Lightning on a three-year contract over the summer, has taken a major step forward since joining the Crunch. During his time as a Calgary Flames prospect, the now 24-year-old forward often hovered around a point-per-game pace with both the Stockton Heat and the Calgary Wranglers. He never pulled too far away from that though.
In his first season in Syracuse, it seemed like Pelletier had a bit of a chip on his shoulder. To this point, he has scored 27 goals and 73 total points in 59 games for the Crunch.
Pelletier's stellar play even earned him a couple of midseason call-ups when the Lightning were decimated by injuries. With his contract becoming a one-way deal next season, it seems likely that the Bolts are hoping he'll be able to compete for an NHL job in six months' time. For now though, he's representing the Crunch as an alternate captain and he's looking to lead his team to a Calder Cup.
There are still seven regular season games remaining for the Crunch, and they're looking to chase down the North Division leaders, the Laval Rocket. The Crunch only trail the Montreal Canadiens' affiliate by a single point and have a game in hand. As a result, there's still a lot to play for over the next seven games.