Tampa Bay Lightning Prospects: Finley, Goncalves’ Strong Seasons Bode Well for Future

The Tampa Bay Lightning have reliably been able to look to their Syracuse Crunch prospects to fill in the holes in the roster. And even though the team’s farm is rated as one of the worst in the league year-after-year, recently, there are usually players ready to make the jump when the call comes.

Currently working their way up are the Lightning’s two second-round picks from the 2020 Draft — Jack Finley (57 overall) and Gage Goncalves (62 overall).

Early promise in Finley’s rookie season

Finley, a rookie center, looked impressive this season totaling 12 goals and 21 points. While his raw scoring numbers do not jump off the page, he showed potential that should have fans feeling optimistic for his future.

When using his 6-foot-6, 213-pound frame, Finley was able to create multiple scoring chances using his size and reach. And even though skating is oftentimes an issue for forwards his size, he did not look out of place in the AHL.

When battling in front of the net, Finley was a scoring threat.

And he also created for others.

In the faceoff circle, Finley’s future looks promising. Other than Crunch captain Gabriel Dumont, nobody on the team was rivalling him in faceoffs taken. He was a safe bet to win at least half of his draws and it was not uncommon for him to finish above the 60% mark.

As for NHL potential, Finley looks to be tracking towards seeing action in the future. He has the tools to be a depth center for the Lightning one day, but still has plenty of room for scoring improvement — which could take him further.

Working in Finley’s favor is his age relative to his draft class. With a September 2 birthday, Finley just made the September 15 cutoff for first-year draft eligibility in 2020 — making him nearly a full-year younger than some of the other first-year draft eligible players. As he continues to grow into his frame, the hope is that he is only beginning to scratch the surface of what he can become as a player.

Goncalves’ second year magic

Gage Goncalves went undrafted in his first year of draft eligibility before being selected by the Lightning in second-round the following year. This year, he once again continued his trend of showing up big in year two.

His rookie season with the Crunch was a mix of inconsistencies as he looked great in individual games but disappeared noticeability for multiple games at times. Some of that inconsistency could be explained by Goncalves making the switch from center — which he played in Juniors — to wing, but regardless, he still put together a respectable 17-goal and 32-point season. This season, however, the inconsistencies began to fade.

Concalves was able to cement his spot on the left wing above those with NHL experience — Cole Koepke and Gabe Fortier — and was the third on the team in scoring with 13 goals and 54 points in 71 games.

While Goncalves’ goal total did drop from 17 to 13 this year, his improvement passing the puck was evident. He was making smart tape-to-tape passes before, but this year he took it up a notch and earned his spot on the top line with Alex Barre-Boulet and Simon Ryfors, and recorded the second most assists of any player on the team behind Barre-Boulet.

In particular, the Goncalves to Barre-Boulet connection was perhaps the best of any two Crunch players.

At times it felt like Goncalves was forgoing shooting opportunities in favor of looking to create passing plays, but when shooting the puck, he proved himself to be a scoring threat.

While Finley and Goncalves are both likely to spend next season in Syracuse, the progression they have shown since being drafted bodes well for their future. And for now, both are doing what they need to do to be near the top of the list of candidates the next time the Tampa Bay Lightning look to the farm to fill a roster spot.