Former Tampa Bay Lightning prospect Jimmy Huntington appears to have found himself a home for the time being, as the San Jose Sharks have signed him to a one-year contract extension for the 2026-27 season. Huntington originally signed with the Lightning as an undrafted free agent in March of 2019. He went on to spend two and a half seasons in the Lightning organization, splitting time between their American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, and their ECHL affiliate, the Orlando Solar Bears. All-in-all, Huntington appeared in 88 games for the Crunch. He scored 11 goals and totaled 29 points during that time. Meanwhile, at the ECHL level, he scored five goals and 12 points in 17 games for the Solar Bears. Nearly three years after initially signing him, the Lightning flipped Huntington to the Nashville Predators in exchange for forward Anthony Richard. Richard went on to depart the Lightning organization at the end of the 2021-22 season. Since then, Huntington has carved out a respectable career for himself at the AHL level. Last season, his first with the San Jose Barracuda, he scored 15 goals and registered a career-high 48 points in 71 games. He's guaranteed to spend at least one more season in San Jose, but given the fact that he was signed to an NHL contract, he's likely hoping he'll get an opportunity to finally make his NHL debut at some point during the coming season.
