One thousand people took to the Yuengling Center on the University of South Florida campus on Thursday for 9/11 Day, packing meals for those in the Tampa Bay area.
Among them included dozens of employees from Vinik Sports Group, members of the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey development staff and even players participating for the Lightning in this weekend’s 2025 Prospect Tournament.
With the Lightning hosting this week’s prospect tournament in Wesley Chapel, the organization was quick to include its youngest players in a drive to help others. Players were among those who packed nearly 411,000 meals which will be delivered to those facing food insecurity in the Tampa Bay area.
Syracuse Crunch General Manager and Head Coach Joel Bouchard, who is leading the Lightning prospects at this week’s tournament, said on Thursday that the volunteering was a combination of teambuilding and a way to give back.
"With my years with Hockey Canada, we used to do a lot of fundraising and a lot of experience to help others, and I always wanted to be part of it, and I always wanted them to be together because it's a chance for us to to have contact with them,” he said. "And every time we can spend with players is a way for us to get to know them and to see them interact with each other. And I think today's is a day that everybody remembers, so it's going to be great to go together and do this event.”
This marked the third year of the event at the Yuengling Center, which is part of a nationwide initiative in which more than 30,000 volunteers in 21 cities across America come together to pack 8.6 million meals for those facing food insecurity on the anniversary of 9/11.
Lightning prospects were split between tables and shared tasks that varied between scooping food into containers, sealing bags, weighing food or counting and closing boxes filled with meals.
Defenseman Roman Schmidt was a third-round pick by the Lightning at the 2021 NHL Draft and has been to multiple Lightning prospect camps. Thursday marked his first experience with such a volunteer opportunity at a prospect camp, and the defenseman who spent last season with the Syracuse Crunch said he was grateful for the opportunity.
Schmidt said his table moved “pretty fast”, adding there were no slow packers among his teammates. The two tables filled with prospects had a friendly race going on Thursday.
“We haven’t done anything like this, so it’s nice to give back and feel good, and it’s fun doing it with the boys,” Schmidt said.
Goalie Harrison Meneghin said his table also had their own packaging system figured out after a few test runs, and he thinks giving back is important as a hockey player.
“I think it’s special to help out the community wherever you can. Our community supports us, and especially the prospects too, by showing up to our development camp games or showing up for our rookie tournament games,” Meneghin said. “So, anything we can do to give back is special, and it was nice because we had a lot of fun and there was a lot of friendly competition. It was definitely a blast.”
With the team preparing for its first game of the prospect tournament, set for Friday at 5 p.m. at AdventHealth Center Ice in Wesley Chapel, Thursday was one more chance to come together as a group.
Whether that means giving back to the community off the ice or by winning games when the puck drops this weekend, the young Bolts are happy to do it.
“I think it's nice to see the group kind of get a little closer. All of us come from different areas of the world or different leagues, so it’s nice to kind of get to know everybody and kind of see what different hockey experiences everyone has shared,” Meneghin said. “It’s been nice, and we're getting really close. So, I think everyone's ready to just play as a team and just see what success we can bring upon ourselves.”
