Tampa Bay Lightning development camp was a special weekend for two Lightning players who shared a special bond well before one of them wore the bolt blue. It started back in 2023 at the University of Massachusetts (UMASS).
Lucas Mercuri at the time was a promising sophomore forward at UMASS. Seeing his potential, head coach Greg Carvel reached out to alumnus and current Lightning forward, Mitchell Chaffee who was also a part of the team’s mentorship program to serve as a mentor to Mercuri. Over the last two years, Chaffee has been there for Mercuri, helped him with his game, been a support on and off and the ice. As part of the mentorship program, it was about being there for the young collegiate athlete.
“I’m not there to pick his game apart or anything like that. It was more or less just anything he needed, I was kind of support for him and trying to give him opportunities and information coming from someone that’s already been through his shoes,” said Chaffee. He told Mercuri he could talk to him and ask him about anything, whether it be hockey, life, nutrition, or whatever.
Though they have consistently communicated back and forth over the last two years, they had yet to actually meet in person, until Thursday.
When Lightning development camp opened July 1, Chaffee and Mercuri met for the first time, and suited up in the same uniform as they were no long just mentor and mentee, but as teammates as this marked Mercuri’s first development camp he has attended.
The Lightning received Mercuri in the 2025 NHL Draft courtesy of a trade from Carolina. Mercuri was originally drafted by Carolina in the 2020 NHL Draft. The Lightning received his rights this past draft, bringing things full circle for Chaffee and Mercuri.
“It’s great to see him here,” said Chaffee, who made every effort to watch UMASS games to provide feedback to Carvel on what he saw that could help him improve his game and get him to the next level.
Mercuri described Chaffee as someone he could lean on whenever he had a question. Mercuri said he asked him about serving in the role as captain, he would ask questions about the game, about the free agency process since Chaffee was a free agent this offseason, and more.
“He was somebody who would always send a paragraph back, just checking in. If I played well one game, he’d say, ‘Hey, watched your game. Thought you played great.’” Said Mercuri. And comments like that go a long way with athletes as they develop.
Having seen him in camp last week, Chaffee said Mercuri has grown a lot, from his size, to his ability to use his body, he’s gotten stronger.
“I think this next step in pro hockey will only kind of catapult him even more,” said Chaffee. “I think it’ll be really good for him to continue to grow and develop.”
Mercuri played six games with the Syracuse Crunch in 2024-25, along with his last full season with UMASS. This year he will aim for a shot at playing in the NHL for the first time with Chaffee alongside him.