The Lightning made seven selections on Day 2 of the NHL Draft.
The 2018 NHL Draft was hosted in Dallas, TX on Friday and Saturday. After not making a selection during the first round on Friday, the Tampa Bay Lightning finished with seven selections in the final six rounds.
Rankings by HockeyProspect.com
2nd Round (59th overall)
FWD Gabriel Fortier
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound forward skated in 66 games with Baie-Comeau of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season. He tallied 26 goals and 59 points. The left-handed winger was ranked as the 67th best prospect. The Lachine, Quebec native has appeared in 91 career QMJHL games, all with Drakkar over the past two seasons, posting 37 goals and 76 points.
On joining the #Bolts and fitting into our style: “I think right now the NHL is more speed and make plays, not only the 6-foot-4 guys. So I think it’s a good team that does that. I think it’s good for me.”
2018 #NHLDraft | Gabriel Fortier: pic.twitter.com/X1GDvkLmoG
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) June 23, 2018
3rd Round (90th overall)
DEF Dmitry Semykin
The 6-foot-3, 201-pound defenseman from Stupino 2 of the Russian Jr. League recorded eight goals, 15 points and 118 penalty minutes in 41 games. He also skated for Russia at the U18 World Championships.
4th Round (121st overall)
DEF Alex Green
From Cornell University, Green, 20, skated in 29 games for during his freshman season in 2017-18. He notched two goals and 10 points, along with 23 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-2, 178-pound defenseman played three seasons in the USHL with the Lincoln Stars and Muskegon Lumberjacks, registering a goal and 17 points prior to playing at Cornell last season. The Chicago native was listed as the 74th best prospect.
5th Round (152nd overall)
Having played in Sweden’s Jr. 18 League, Chrona, 17, appeared in 15 games with Nacka HK of the Swedish Junior Elite League last season, posting a 2.13 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound goaltender also played in seven games with Nacka HK Junior Club, recording a 1.14 goals-against average and .954 save percentage.
6th Round (183rd overall)
FWD Cole Koepke
The 20-year-old left-hander appeared in 60 games with the Sioux City Musketeers last season, collecting 28 goals and 39 points to go along with 34 penalty minutes. The 6-foot-1, 196-pound forward ranked first on Sioux City and fifth in the USHL for goals. The Hermantown, Minnesota native also ranked tied for second in the USHL with four shorthanded markers. Koepke signed a letter of intent with defending NCAA national champion University of Minnesota-Duluth in November 2017. He was listed as the 216th best prospect heading into the draft. Koepke has ties to a current player in the organization and Lightning fans would be pleased to get results like this in the coming years.
Sammy Walker and Cole Koepke are now both part of the @TBLightning organization, which makes total sense. Just look at how electrifying they are! #NHLDraft #WhosNext #MusketeerHockey #MusketeerNation pic.twitter.com/h7AMPHugM4
— SiouxCity Musketeers (@Musketeerhockey) June 23, 2018
7th Round (206th overall)
DEF Radim Salda
Spent last season as a member of the Saint John Sea Dogs of the QMJHL. The 19-year-old appeared in 62 games for the Sea Dogs, tallying 10 goals and 41 points to go along with 78 penalty minutes. The Pardubice, Czech Republic native ranked first in the QMJHL among rookie defensemen for points. He was named to the 2017-18 QMJHL All Rookie Team. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound defenseman also skated in seven games for the Czech Republic at the 2018 World Jr. Championships.
7th Round (214th overall)
With their final pick of the day, the Lightning selected Taylor from the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League. The 18-year-old appeared in 31 games for the Vipers, earning a record of 23-5-3 to go along with a 1.87 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. The 6-foot-3, 196-pound goaltender led the BCHL for goals-against average and save percentage and was third for wins.
