The Tampa Bay Lightning wrapped up the 2026 prospect showcase on Tuesday with a 4-2 win over the host Carolina Hurricanes at Invisalign Arena. They conclude the event with one win and one loss.
Syracuse Crunch Head Coach and General Manager Joel Bouchard said the organization’s youngsters improved every shift, which he hoped to see.
“We had four days with the prospects, two practices and two games. I feel we got better every day,” Bouchard said. “I feel like the first period was better than the third period yesterday, the second was better than the first and the third was definitely our best period. It was fun to see the adjustment we had with the guys and that they applied it and they connected, stayed together.”
Training camp opens with media day on Wednesday before players hit the ice for the first practice on Thursday. As we gear up for camp, here’s three takeaways from Tuesday’s prospect showcase finale:
1. A menacing Mercuri
Forward Lucas Mercuri needed mere seconds to announce his entry to the prospect showcase lineup on Tuesday. After not playing on Monday, Mercuri delivered a big hit in the offensive zone in the opening moments against Carolina.
He delivered a crunching hit on Charles Alexis-Legault, Carolina’s captain at the showcase, in the second period before fighting immediately after.
Mercuri, who was a Carolina draft pick in 2020, enters his second season of professional hockey in 2026-27 and is pushing for big club opportunities.
“I think just sticking true to myself,” Mercuri said of his growth last season. “I think it was playing physical, playing the way I know how to play and not wavering from that. I don't play like a first line, skill guy. I like to get in the corners and play a physical, nasty brand of hockey. I’m just sticking to my roots and owning that.”
He spent his summer skating in Montreal with a group of current NHL players.
“I was working on my skating and working on everything, honestly—goal scoring, skating, playmaking ability,” Mercuri said. “Just working on all areas of my game.”
The 6-foot-3 center made the most of his rookie season with the Crunch in 2025-26, scoring 14 goals and 26 points. He finished with a team-high 132 penalty minutes, which ranked 12th in the entire American Hockey League. That last number was hard to forget on Tuesday, as he was heavily involved in the physical aspects of the game.
Mercuri barged in on the forecheck to force a turnover late in the first period on Tuesday and set up a nice look for Benjamin Rautiainen in front of the net, resulting in sustained pressure in the offensive end.
Mercuri also took some key draws, particularly on the penalty kill, and served as an alternate captain.
“He wants to play hockey for a living, and he wants to get better. He’s an accountable young man on and off the ice, and he's definitely leading by example,” Bouchard said. “He had a really strong rookie season last year. Yes, he's a physical guy, and he doesn't shy from physical contact and protecting himself or his teammates, but he's also scored a lot of goals for us in the right areas and the right way. He's a hard-nosed centerman that we're very excited about.”
2. Freshly signed Bolts showed flashes
A pair of players preparing for their first full season of North American pro hockey got involved in the offense on Tuesday—defenseman Tomas Kralovic opened the scoring, and forward Noah Steen set up the 2-1 goal for the Lightning prospects.
Kralovic was particularly busy on the blue line for Tampa Bay this weekend. The 21-year-old defenseman signed his entry-level deal at development camp this year after playing professionally in Slovakia last season and will see time in Syracuse this year.
After Rautiainen and Mercuri set up a rush chance, Kralovic jumped into the play and his pass deflected in off a Carolina player at the net.
“I think they’re all very skilled and good players, and they’re also good people,” Kralovic said of playing with this prospect team. “I’ve enjoyed all of the time with them.”
Steen, 22, signed his entry-level contract last March. Moments after Carolina tied Tuesday’s game, Steen rushed down the right boards, beat a pair of Hurricanes and completed a give-and-go before feeding Connor Kurth at the left post for a tap-in goal and a 2-1 lead.
“I saw Roelens in the middle and he gave me a nice pass,” Steen said. “I was going on my backhand and I see Kurthy on the other side and tried to make a good pass. It was OK, but it was an even better shot. It was a great line goal all the way from the defense to Kurth.”
The seventh-round pick in 2024 scored 12 goals and 22 points in 52 SHL games last season. Steen also got five games with the Crunch at the end of last season and now joins Kralovic among the youngsters in Syracuse this year.
“Both of them are guys that sometimes are under the radar, but they definitely fit the Bolts mentality,” Bouchard said of Steen and Kralovic. “They're hard workers, they're dedicated, and they showed that this week.”
Rautiainen also signed his entry-level contract this summer. He made a statement of his own in the third period, dragging the puck inside and firing the 4-2 goal inside the right post.
“That was a great play,” Dylan Duke said of Rautiainen’s goal. “I was fired up on the bench for him. Obviously, we all know he's got a ton of skill, and he's been working super hard this week, so to see him get rewarded there, we were all super excited for him.”
He’s headed to training camp aiming for an NHL roster spot. If that doesn’t take shape, he will again play professionally in Finland after leading Tappara Tampere to a Liiga title last season.
3. Veterans stood out
The prospect showcase serves as the perfect launchpad into training camp each season, and you can officially hit the green light on the 2026-27 campaign.
For guys like Mercuri, Duke and Kurth, this week was a runway to another year in the Lightning organization.
Duke scored the 3-2 goal for Tampa Bay on Tuesday, burying a cross-ice pass from Kurth to finish a 3-on-2 rush. Tuesday was Duke’s first game of the week, and he also wore a letter on his jersey.
He set up numerous scoring chances in the victory.
“I’m super excited,” Duke said of entering another training camp in Tampa. “I got to play in the game and get my legs back under me and get some timing back. I think it took me a little bit to really get going in that game, but I started to feel really good. I'm super excited to get training camp going. It’s kind of a long summer, and I’m just thankful to be back here and I’m ready to go.”
Kurth was again busy on the scoresheet, co-leading the team with a goal and assist after scoring the organization’s lone goal in Monday’s loss. He also scored a shootout goal postgame.
Now the attention turns to main camp for Bouchard and the prospects.
“I’m looking forward to seeing some of our guys that we had in Syracuse last year, and it’s always fun to see (Jon Cooper) and the crew working with the NHL guys and seeing where they at as well as having some of these young guys stepping up over the next few days,” Bouchard said. “I think they've gathered a little bit of confidence here, and it's going to be a tough challenge for them, which is exciting.”
