The Tampa Bay Lightning are not necessarily known for possessing the strongest of prospect pools. Years of being among the top teams in the league and being aggressive buyers at the trade deadline will naturally do that.
Yet, while many consider the Lightning's prospect pool among the bottom in the NHL, that does not mean that they do not have promising youngsters in their system. An example of one is forward Jack Finley.
Finley, 22, quietly had a very solid season with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL in 2024-25. In 40 games with the AHL squad on the year, he scored a career-high 14 goals, while also recording 28 points and a plus-11 rating. He also played in his first career NHL game with the Lightning on Jan. 14 against the Boston Bruins.
Overall, Finley took a nice step forward in his development this season and will now look to continue to improve from here. When looking at the Lightning's current group, there is reason to believe that the 6-foot-6 forward could get more consistent chances on the NHL roster next season.
It is no secret that the Lightning's bottom six is due for a makeover, and a forward like Finley could be a solid addition for their fourth-line center spot because of it. Finley would offer the Bolts a much younger replacement for pending unrestricted free agent Luke Glendening and could surprise fans if given the opportunity to play more consistently at the NHL level.
Finley has shown promise at the AHL level and has the potential to become a nice part of the Lightning's roster. It will be interesting to see if he takes a big step forward next season for the Atlantic Division club from here.
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