Tampa Bay Lightning Mailbag: Dylan Blujus' Future As A Prospect

Welcome to this weeks Bolts By The Bay Mailbag, the place where we take any questions you may have about the Tampa Bay Lightning and give you answers.

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Donnie asks: What is Dylan Blujus’ future as a Lightning prospect? He looked good in the first preseason game at home and I don’t know much about him.

Dylan Blujus is a defenseman with what I think is top-4 NHL upside. He may not be a name many Lightning fans know about, but you will soon enough. The Buffalo, New York native was selected in the second round by the Lightning during the 2012 NHL Draft with the thought that he could one day become a solid two-way defender. The organization understood that Blujus has all the tools to reach that projection, but they also understood that he was very raw and would be a long-term development project.

The Tampa Bay Lightning are short on right-handed defenseman that have excellent two-way ability, and Blujus projects as one of those players if his development continues to go well. Last season with the Syracuse Crunch, the 6’3 193 lb defenseman began his first season as a pro and played well on what was a very young and inexperienced blue line. Blujus scored 22 points and finished even in the plus/minus department in 62 games and really improved on a few major aspects of his game that really have myself and the organization very excited about what he could possibly do for Lightning in the future.

Blujus has a good shot from the point, but it always was about his positioning and the ability to make the right read to decide when to shoot and when to pass off the puck. His offensive awareness was always pretty decent, but you could tell during his latest stint with the Lightning during the preseason that he is much more comfortable jumping into the play during the offensive rush.

Back in the defensive zone, Blujus has learned to use his 6’3 frame to fend off attackers that try to speed past him along the wall. In the past, Blujus would use his stick and weakly attempt to dislodge the puck while the attacker easily scooted past him or cut toward the middle for a great scoring chance against an out of position defense. Now, being able to force these attackers back toward the middle of the ice, he can use his improved skating and help from his teammates to force the puck away from the opposition.

I am really pleased with the way Blujus has developed over the past few seasons. His junior numbers with the North Bay Battalion and later with the Crunch showed me that the offensive side of his game was really improving. He has always been a solid defender, but the increased skating ability and use of his body along the wall make him an even better defender.

We talk a lot about Anthony DeAngelo and Slater Koekkoek as the best blue line prospects in the Tampa Bay Lightning system and deservedly so, but Blujus’ continued improvement over the last three seasons is really making him stand out. This season, he will play a big role in helping lead a once again young Crunch blue line as they look to once again make it back to the Calder Cup playoffs. We should see Blujus in the NHL for a cup of coffee with the big club sometime during the season and eventually see him top out as a top-4, two-way defenseman.

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