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Tampa Bay Lightning focus on forward position at 2017 NHL Draft

ByWill Clewis|
June 23, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Cal Foote poses for photos after being selected as the number fourteen overall pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
June 23, 2017; Chicago, IL, USA; Cal Foote poses for photos after being selected as the number fourteen overall pick to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft at the United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports
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Nick Perbix, Defense

In the sixth round, the Tampa Bay Lightning selected a second defenseman with the 169th overall pick. Nick Perbix, a native of Minnesota, is now in the Lightning pipeline and could develop into a solid prospect in the coming years. He is listed as a 6-foot-4, 194 pound blueliner and is considered a right-handed defenseman with size, by the looks of it.

Perbix captained the Elk River High School hockey team last season and notched 10 goals and 40 points. A report from SB Nation describes him as “a later-bloomer that made huge strides later in the high school season last year. He’s big, skates well, and plays a decent defensive game. I don’t think he’ll get drafted unless he ends the year with a strong run in the USHL, but he’s a player worth watching.”

Well, he got drafted Saturday and now has the opportunity to develop with one of the top organizations in the NHL. Perbix committed to play with St. Cloud State starting in the 2017-18 season.

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