TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning selected six players today during the second day of the 2026 NHL Draft, taking place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Lightning’s 2026 Draft is presented by Florida Blue.
The Lightning traded up to the 52nd overall pick in the second round to select forward Oleg Kulebiakin from the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. Kulebiakin, 5-foot 10, 178 pounds, recorded 29 goals and 73 points in 64 games for Halifax last season. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, he also skated in four playoff games, registering two assists. Kulebiakin led the Mooseheads for assists, points and power-play points with 26, while ranking third for goals. He is currently committed to play for UMass for the 2027-28 season.
With the 26th pick in the third round, 90th overall, Tampa Bay selected defenseman Tomas Kralovic from Bratislava Slovan of the Slovakian league. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound blueliner recorded six goals and 31 points last season in 52 games. Kralovic also skated in 17 playoff games, registering four goals and six points. The Bratislava native also appeared in five games for Slovakia at the 2025 World Junior Championships, recording two assists.
In the fifth round, 134th overall, the Lightning selected Swedish forward Morgan Anderberg from the Vaxjo Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League. The Stockholm native played in 39 games last season for the Lakers, recording two goals and three points. Anderberg, 5-foot-11, 174 pounds, also skated in 10 postseason games with Vaxjo, notching a goal and three points. He also represented Sweden at the World Junior Championships, appearing in two games.
With their second pick of the fifth round, 154th overall, Tampa Bay selected Cooper Soller from Sioux Falls of the United States Hockey League. The Los Angeles, California native played in 62 games with the Stampede last season, recording 26 goals and 49 points. Soller, 5-foot-10, 172 pounds, ranked second on the team for goals, fourth for power-play goals (7) and sixth for points in his first full season with the team. He also skated in all 14 Clark Cup playoff games with Sioux Falls, helping the team to its fourth USHL Championship, chipping in a goal and four points. He was also named the USHL Rookie of the Year.
The Lightning used their sixth-round pick, 186th overall, to select 6-foot-5, 205-pound goaltender Stepan Shurygin from the Saginaw Spirit of the Ontario Hockey League. A native of Samara, Russia, Shurygin played in 59 games this season, posting a 3.79 goals-against average and .888 save percentage with a 24-27-3 record. He also skated in four playoff games.
Tampa Bay closed their 2026 NHL Draft, presented by Florida Blue, by selecting defenseman Max Vilen with the 218th overall pick. Vilen spent the 2025-26 season playing in the QMJHL, notching three goals and 27 points in 54 games between the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats. The 19-year-old, left-shooting defender from Hammarlöv, Sweden racked up 25 penalty minutes and was plus-2.
