The Lightning grabbed another Russian forward with their third round selection (76th overall) at the 2017 NHL Draft, taking Alexey Lipanov , a 6-foot, 169-pound center from Moscow.
Lipanov split time between Dynamo Balashikha of Russia's VHL and HK MVD Balashikha of the MHL in 2016-17. With Dynamo Balashikha, Lipanov recorded three goals and five assists in 21 regular season games and added three assists in six playoff games. With HK MVD, he had three assists in 11 games.
Lipanov skated seven games for the Russian U18 team at the World Junior Championships and tallied three assists in seven games. Lipanov is a 17-year-old left-handed shot. He's expected to play for the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League next season.
