Bolts select LW Gabriel Fortier in second round

With their first selection of the 2018 NHL Draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning took Gabriel Fortier in the Second Round (59th overall).

Fortier is a 5-foot-10, 170-pound left winger from Baie-Comeau of the QMJHL. In 2017-18, Fortier scored 26 goals and added 33 assists in 66 games, ranking third on the Drakkar for goals.

Fortier also played for Canada's Gold Medal-winning Under-18 team at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial in 2017 and netted two goals in five games.
"When I was like 5 years old, I started playing hockey," said Fortier, who was at American Airlines Center in Dallas waiting for his name to be called with his parents, his older brother Maxime and his girlfriend. "I wanted this moment, so it's a great deal for my family and me. It's amazing."
Fortier follows in the long list of undersized but skilled Lightning draftees at forward. The 18 year old said he models his game after the similarly smallish Brendan Gallagher from Montreal.
"He's not the biggest guy on the ice, but he's not scared to go in the corner against a 6-foot-4 guy," Fortier said. "He works hard every shift. This year, Montreal had a rough year and everybody was talking about him, how he was working every night, so I think it's a good comparison to me."
Fortier said he's excited to join a Lightning organization known for drafting or finding undersized talents and developing them into stars, players like Tyler Johnson, Yanni Gourde and Brayden Point.

"I think right now the NHL is more speed and make plays, not only the 6-foot-4 guys," the left-handed shooting Fortier said. "So I think it's a good team that does that. I think it's good for me."
Fortier's brother, Maxime, captained Halifax in 2017-18 and signed a three-year contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets in 2017. Gabriel said he attended the NHL Draft the last two years waiting for his brother's name to be called. It never came, but he said he draws inspiration from watching his brother continue to work hard, eventually earning a NHL contract.
"We were sitting for seven rounds and he signed a contract with Columbus," he said. "I think he's a good model for me. He helped me a lot when we were young."
Fortier said he'll be attending the Lightning's development camp, which begins June 26 and runs through June 30.
"I think it's a great organization," Fortier said. "I'm excited to go to (development) camp and work with the coaches and other players. It's going to be fun."