Pelletier, Finley return to NHL after more offensive punch for AHL Syracuse

Jakob Pelletier and Jack Finley have shown it time and time again at the American Hockey League level—they have the offensive punch.

They can score.

That punch has earned both players, each in the first year of fresh three-year contracts with the Tampa Bay Lightning, their latest NHL opportunity. Both forwards were recalled from Tampa Bay’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, on Saturday morning ahead of tonight’s 7 p.m. game against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Pelletier made his Tampa Bay debut on Nov. 15 against the Florida Panthers, logging 6 minutes, 12 seconds ice time during a 3-1 win. The former first-round pick by the Calgary Flames from the 2019 NHL Draft boasts 87 career NHL games and is a near point-per-game player in the AHL with 161 points in 163 contests.

His offense has continued to stand out in 2025-26 for Syracuse, as he woke up on Saturday tied with Laurent Dauphin as the league's co-leader in scoring with 31 points in 24 games.

“I think it’s the (Syracuse) staff there,” Pelletier said of his success. “They’re unreal. We have a good team as well. I play with tons of good players. I play with (Conor Geekie) and (Nick Abruzzese), and they’re both great players. So it kind of allows me to produce offensively but play a good game overall as well."

Pelletier’s offense this season includes 15 goals in 24 games, fourth-most in the AHL.

“We'll see what happens tonight and whether our injuries affect whether he's in or not,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said of Pelletier on Saturday morning, “but you talk about guys going to the minors and showing management that they deserve a chance. It’s definitely him, and he's a hell of a kid and willing to learn and ask questions and what he can do to get better. That’s a good signing for us."

The 24-year-old forward scored eight points in 25 NHL games for the Flames last season and will hope to earn more playing time with the Lightning moving forward. That could come as soon as Saturday.

“Play the same game,” he said of his approach if he plays on Saturday. “Doesn’t matter if you’re in Syracuse or here. Bring the same pace. For me, that's a big thing."

He won’t be the only player looking for more opportunities, as Finley also rejoins the Lightning locker room.

The 6-foot-6 center has appeared in 11 games in his rookie season for Tampa Bay, scoring his first NHL goal in that same Nov. 15 game against the Panthers. He earned his first NHL point with an assist three nights prior against the New York Rangers and has two points this season.

The 23-year-old was Tampa Bay’s second-round selection in the 2020 NHL Draft and returns from a three-game conditioning stint with the Crunch. He scored a goal and two assists in his three games with Syracuse.

“Those (AHL) minutes aren't going to translate fully at the NHL level, but the mentality should, and that's what you're hoping for,” Cooper said. “Those stints, I never see them hurt anybody. Just sitting with him today, he talked about how it was good for him. Whether 18 to 20 minutes in the minors turns into 10 in the NHL, but then your job is to make those 10 (into) 11. And some point make them 12…You just see him improving all the time. A stint like that hopefully was good for him."

Finley said the conditioning stint was about getting his “swagger” back and playing a “harder” game.

"I think the AHL is very much a grind. Just the way people play, it’s more chip and chase than it is here,” Finley said. "So for me, I just tried to focus on playing harder, using my body more and being better with the puck down low. I only played three games, but I think over the three games I got better and I kind of found that touch again.”

Finley scored 14 goals for Syracuse in 2024-25, third-most of any player, and his 28 points were sixth-most on the team. He is happy to be back in Tampa Bay, and he wants to bring that renewed energy with him.

“This is a special team and a special group of guys, and I've made a lot of really good friendships here as teammates. To be back in the NHL is awesome. I think I found some swagger in my game, and I've dusted some of the rust off from not playing in a little bit. I'm coming in here motivated and just ready to work and play hard."

Hagel out, Kucherov game-time decision on Saturday

Tampa Bay will play a second consecutive game without forward Brandon Hagel, who is day-to-day with an upper-body injury. Hagel, who ranks third on the team with 31 points in 32 games this season, skated during Saturday’s optional morning skate but will not play against the Hurricanes.

Leading scorer Nikita Kucherov missed Thursday’s game against the Los Angeles Kings due to illness, and Cooper classified the back-to-back Art Ross Trophy winner as a game-time decision.

The good news for Tampa Bay is that Cooper on Saturday does expect to see forward Anthony Cirelli, who left Thursday’s game early in the third period with an apparent injury and did not return.