Though the Lightning fell short on Saturday and did not pull off a win, it was a special night in Columbus for 25-year Simon Lundmark from Stockholm, Sweden. After being signed by the Lightning in July, Lundmark saw his hockey dream come true when he made his NHL debut for the Lightning in front of a packed house in Columbus.
With Max Crozier and Jack Finley out with illness, the Lightning gave the rookie Lundmark his first NHL shot.
Rookie lap time 🤩 pic.twitter.com/F4PynnfnXo
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) January 24, 2026
In his NHL debut game, the 25-year old skated 16:45 on ice. He had one shot, two blocks, and was credited with two hits and a +1 rating on the game.
Lundmark is a 6’2”, 190lb right-handed defensemen. Originally drafted by the Winnipeg Jets, the Lightning picked him up in July.
Prior to that je spent his first six of seven seasons with the IFK Täby and their age group teams. He also spent time with the Stockholm Nord (TV-Pucken League), Linköping HC J20 (J20 SuperElit League), the Sweden U17 team, and the Manitoba Moose.
Over the course of his career he has 51 goals, a combined 140 assists, for a total 191 points. In 2025 with Syracuse he was credited with five assists and had incurred 12 penalty minutes before getting the call to join the Lightning in Columbus for his debut game against the Blue Jackets.
The young defenseman was originally credited with an assist on the Lightning’s first goal of the day, but it was taken back as Jake Guentzel was given the unassisted goal. So Lundmark will have to wait until the next game to attempt to strike his first NHL point.
Defensively Lundmark skated hard. He earned blocks even with the Lightning playing with only four defensemen in the third period as he went on to a get rated +1 on the game in a strong debut game for the rookie.