The Tampa Bay Lightning got their first in-person look at the 2026 development camp roster on Tuesday with full practices beginning at TGH IcePlex in Brandon.
Lightning prospects split the day working on puck skills and skating with Lightning skill coaches as well as some familiar coaching volunteers between meetings and workouts.
“Kids always have a good experience, and I think our staff is really passionate about what they do,” Lightning Director of Player Development JP Cote said, “and I want them to be as present as possible with them. That's kind of what we're trying to accomplish here.”
It was a busy day for the youngsters, including a trio of 2025 draft picks in Caleb Heil, Grant Spada and Marco Mignosa as well as 2024 draft pick Hagen Burrows.
We caught up with all four in this latest rendition of the FourCheck.
1. Heil’s top honor for USA Hockey motivates him further
Goalie Caleb Heil has played a lot of hockey this year spread across the USHL regular season and Clark Cup Playoffs for the Madison Capitols, Team USA and Lightning development showings.
He’s earned some honors in that time, too.
“It was a pretty long year, but it was a fun one,” Heil said…”I think everything building up kind of set me up for a strong second half of the year, and really it just came down to playoffs. We were playing well at the right time, and it was just a fun run with Madison where we were able to go to the conference finals.”
Heil, 20, returns for his second development camp with the Lightning after being selected in the Round 7 of the 2025 NHL Draft.
The Minnesota native just wrapped up his second season with the USHL’s Madison Capitols, posting a 24-13-3 record, .905 save percentage, 2.34 goals against average and three shutouts.
His 24 wins tied for sixth in the league, and he mixed in hockey on the national level, too—Heil represented Team USA at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championships, winning both of his starts.
“I couldn't have been more honored just to be a part of that team and with that group of guys representing our country, especially on home soil in Minnesota,” he said. “It was just a great experience and a great group of guys, for one, but I think anytime you can throw the jersey on and represent your country, it's such an honor. I’m disappointed we couldn't get the job done there, but nonetheless it was an honor.”
All of those experiences were capped with recognition in May. Heil was named USA Hockey’s Dave Peterson Goalie of the Year, the award given to the top junior goaltender in America.
That award motivates him even further as he gets set to make the jump to college hockey this fall at the University of North Dakota. He plans to spend his summer in North Dakota preparing for the season.
“My focus last summer was just my process and my actions over results. I think that allowed me to have a good year this last year, and I think it's gonna be the same thing going into North Dakota,” Heil said. “They have a good goalie there coming back with Jan Špunar, and he had a really good season. I think for me it's just gonna be about going in there and focusing on my own process and my own actions, and the results, outcomes and opportunity will take care of itself.”
2. Spada’s all-around game improved in second OHL season
Defenseman Grant Spada entered last year’s development camp as a first-timer who had just completed his first full season in the OHL.
On Tuesday you could see his growth in confidence and comfortability as he worked with coaches on the ice.
Spada felt his game improved in numerous areas this past season, and the numbers grew, too—the 19-year-old defender scored six goals and 21 points this past season, tripling his offensive output of six assists in 58 games for the Guelph Storm in 2024-25.
“My coaching staff in Guelph has been awesome to me and been teaching me every day. We work on our skills offensively, and also I’ve got to give credit to Tampa, like Randi (Milani), JP (Cote) came down to see me, skate with me and work on my skills, and I give credit to them too. I was feeling more confident this year, and that's why I feel my offense has jumped.”
After posting 85 penalty minutes and going minus-29 in his draft year, Spada kept his physicality with 75 penalty minutes this past season but was a positive player at plus-11.
“I’ve put a lot of work into my skating, and that helps me,” he said. “My defensive game is good, and my focus every night is to not get scored on. As long as that keeps going, the points are just a bonus.”
Following practice on Tuesday, Spada picked the brain of volunteer coach and former NHL force Pat Maroon for advice on fighting. He also wants to hone in on skating and puckhandling this upcoming season.
3. Fresh off national championship, Burrows turns to new chapter in NCAA
Forward Hagen Burrows ended his 2025-26 season in the best way possible.
Burrows helped Denver University win this year’s NCAA Division I national title, scoring six goals and 16 points in 43 games during his sophomore season.
“It's always a successful season when you end it on a win,” he said. “I think the experience of going through that with a tight-knit team and seeing what it takes to get through the postseason and win a championship is super valuable for me moving forward in my career, just knowing what it takes to come together as a team and also what you need to do as an individual to contribute and be selfless towards that team.”
Individually, Burrows said Denver prioritizes a defense-first mentality that helped him refine the defensive aspects of his game. He called himself a 200-foot player, saying he’s at his best when focused on protecting his own net while also adding some offense.
He wants to produce more next season, and he’ll aim to do so in new threads following a transfer to play for the University of Notre Dame in 2026-27.
“For me it's just kind of looking to play a little more this coming year and showcase my individual talent a little bit more, and the conference was a big pull for me,” Burrows said of the decision to transfer. “Playing in the Big Ten with a lot of high offensive power teams and being able to compete against some of the top prospects in the world next year will be a huge opportunity for me to be able to grow my game there.”
The 20-year-old forward from Orono, Minnesota was a fourth-round pick by the Lightning at the 2024 NHL Draft. This marks his second development camp with Tampa Bay.
“It's always fun coming here. Guys come here from all over, every league,” Burrows said. “We’ve got Europeans, Americans, Canadians. It's really fun when you all get in the mix together and get to know not only them as people, but what kind of game they have and maybe the differences from different areas and then taking things from guys from different areas.”
4. Mignosa focused on skating following top-10 OHL campaign
Winger Marco Mignosa is taking the next step of his hockey career this season, joining the roster at Penn State University following a top-10 showing in the OHL.
Before he joins the Nittany Lions, the 21-year-old forward and seventh-round pick from the 2025 NHL Draft is back for his second development camp with Tampa Bay.
“I'm just kind of taking it all in,” Mignosa said. “There's a lot of development coaches here and people that know their stuff. I'm just trying to work on my skating, trying to get more of a powerful stride and just all-around comfort in my skating. I’m taking a lot of pride in that and working with Barb and Randi as much as I can.”
Mignosa scored a team-best 89 points for the Soo Greyhounds this past season, the sixth-most of any OHL player. He ranked 11th in the league with 35 goals in his second season as an alternate captain for the Greyhounds.
“I've been playing in the league for a while, so I got to figure it out as I got older in the league and got a lot of trust from my coaches,” he said. “I thought to myself, if I play on the defensive side of the puck, things would lead through me offensively, and I guess it came naturally. Now I feel good with the puck on my stick and make plays. I was pretty happy with this year.”
Mignosa knows there are older players in college hockey, but he also feels multiple seasons of development have helped prepare him for the transition to the NCAA.
Fans can watch Mignosa next fall at Penn State, which had the player’s interest quickly.
“I had a good Zoom call with them and they were pretty interested in me,” Mignosa said of the college, “and they were following me a lot. Their style of play is something that I think I'd mold right into, and they told me that when I first talked to them. The place is unreal. I mean, it's a great hockey spot, a passionate town and it's a great hockey program. I'm super excited.”
