The most competitive part of development camp has begun, as the 3-on-3 prospect tournament kicked off Thursday afternoon.
Tampa Bay’s top youngsters have been putting in the work on skills and skating drills all week, and now they get the chance to go head-to-head for the annual prospect tournament trophy.
We found time to chat with a trio of defensive draft picks in Tomas Kralovic, Max Vilén and Everett Baldwin while also checking in on forward prospect Aiden Foster in this edition of the FourCheck.
1. Tomas Kralovic leans on professional experience in first Bolts look
Tomas Kralovic had a quick turnaround last week, heading from Slovakia to Tampa after being selected by the team with the 90th overall pick in the third round of the 2026 NHL Draft.
Just days removed from being drafted, the right-shooting 20-year-old defender is getting his first Lightning experience.
“It’s really nice,” he said of his first development camp. “The coaches are really good, and they want us to improve to another level.”
Kralovic, who turns 21 in August, already has some professional hockey experience after spending the past three seasons playing for HC Slovan Bratislava in Slovakia’s top pro league.
He scored six goals and 31 points as a 20 year old this past season, adding 71 penalty minutes and finishing with a plus-17 rating. His game took a step in 2025-26 after he scored one goal and seven points in the same league during the 2024-25 campaign.
The 6-foot-3, 203-pound defender ranked seventh in the Extraliga for assists by a defenseman last season, and his 31 points ranked inside the top 10. He credits that to more confidence and growth, and he's displayed that confidence this week.
“I think I'm a better skater, I'm better with the puck, and my confidence is higher than the last two seasons.”
That said, Kralovic said his game still needs to grow as he aims to eventually make the jump to North America. He’s focused on a defense-first mentality to make it happen.
“Defensively,” he said of where his biggest focus is this offseason. "I think I need to be very good on defense and do a lot of the small things there, and then I can go to the offense.”
2. Max Vilén celebrates 20th birthday as a Bolt
Tampa Bay’s seventh-round selection had a birthday to remember this year.
Defenseman Max Vilén turned 20 years old in Tampa on Monday during the first day of his first development camp with the Lightning after the team selected him in the seventh round of this year’s draft.
“It's pretty special, everything I could have dreamed of,” he said of spending a birthday at development camp. “I've been working hard the past few years, especially since I didn't get picked in the last two drafts. I'm very happy to be here.”
The 6-foot-3, 209-pound Vilén spent last season playing in the QMJHL, beginning with 27 games as a Saint John Sea Dog. He was traded to the Moncton Wildcats midseason and finished the year with three goals and 27 points in 54 games.
His shot was noticeable during Thursday's on-ice sessions. Vilén, a native of Sweden, has long prioritized the way he plays with the puck.
“I'd say I'm a pretty calm puck carrier. I try not to force anything, try to trust my skating and just make plays when I can. Otherwise I keep it to a pretty simple, fast game.”
Vilén is currently planning for a return to Moncton this upcoming season. He feels this week has better prepared him to develop further, particularly after working with Lightning skating coach Barb Underhill.
“I just want to get faster and improve my skating,” he said. “I can improve pretty much everything, but especially my explosiveness and moving my feet more.”
3. Everett Baldwin’s offense remains front and center as he enters college hockey
Vilén isn’t the only Lightning prospect with ties to the Saint John Sea Dogs.
The defenseman spent part of this past season playing alongside Everett Baldwin, Tampa Bay’s fifth-round selection at the 2025 NHL Draft, for the Sea Dogs.
Baldwin’s offense jumps off the stat sheet—he scored 15 goals and 44 points in 62 games during his debut QMJHL season, and his 15 goals co-led the league among defenders.
He tied for ninth in total offense on the same list.
“It was my first year of junior hockey, lots of ups and downs, some learning curves and stuff like that, but I think from start to finish I developed a lot,” Baldwin said. "I really enjoyed my time in Saint John, and it's a great place to play and live. I’m really happy with how the year went, and I came out on top with my development.”
Baldwin, 19, is attending his second development camp with the team and continues to mold his defensive approach.
He kickstarted Thursday’s 3-on-3 tournament with a pair of goals in the opening game and demonstrated multiple quick escape moves to evade pressure from opposing players.
“I'm just trying to find open space and get to the net, really. I want to score goals, I want to be a difference maker, so it’s having that mentality of wanting to be the best guy on the ice,” Baldwin siad. “I’m just trying to make good plays and have a good stick, be good defensively, obviously, and hopefully bring some good offense, too.”
He is committed to Providence College—the previous collegiate home of Lightning defenseman Max Crozier—and is set for the jump to NCAA hockey this fall.
He met Crozier during Tampa Bay's 2025 training camp and said he looks forward to becoming a Friar for the 2026-27 season, when he’ll focus on improving his stick usage to both break up and create plays.
“He's super nice to talk to, and obviously it's cool to see a guy play at Providence and end up here in the Tampa Bay locker room,” Baldwin said of Crozier. “I’m hoping I can continue that same path and get here in a couple years hopefully.”
4. Aiden Foster, tough customer
Aiden Foster’s first showing at last September’s prospect tournament stood out thanks to flying bodychecks, some post-whistle action and even a goal against the Nashville Predators.
Foster has been one of the WHL’s top agitators over the past three seasons, surpassing 100 penalty minutes each year for the Prince George Cougars.
His 113 penalty minutes in 2025-26 were the sixth-most in the WHL and led all NHL draft picks who played in the league.
“It's my favorite part of my game,” a smiling Foster said of being physical. “I enjoy doing it. I'll do anything for the team, so whatever I have to do to get a job, I'm willing to do.”
His offense has grown in every junior season. He established new career highs for goals (14), assists (21) and points (35) this past season following an 11-goal, 20-point campaign during his draft year a season ago.
He plans to return to Prince George for a fourth season in 2026-27 and aims to continue to develop on offense and as a leader.
“I want to be kind of ‘the guy’ on my team and lead by example, just focus on being a 200-foot player,” Foster said.
"I don't want to change my game at all, but I also want to put up more numbers and create that offense. I'll still play physical and still be kind of a pain in the butt to play against.”
