Isaac Howard and Team USA advance to semifinal-round at World Junior Championship

The Tampa Bay Lightning haven’t had many first-round picks in the NHL Draft over the past several years. But in 2022, the Bolts held the 31^st overall pick and used it to select Isaac Howard, a left wing from Hudson, Wisconsin who is now playing a pivotal role for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.

The annual under-20 tournament features top prospects from around the globe competing for a chance at a gold medal. In the past, Lightning stars like Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov, Brayden Point and many more have all competed in the tournament.

This year, Howard is the lone Tampa Bay prospect participating in the tournament, skating on the second line for Team USA and earning time on the power play as well.

Through four preliminary-round games, the U.S. posted a perfect, 4-0-0 record with wins over Norway, Switzerland, Czechia and Slovakia.

Howard has been a big factor in Team USA’s early success, finding the back of the net in each of the four preliminary-round contests. Through the first four games, Howard recorded five goals and one assist for six points with a +9 rating and 16 shots on goal. He also helped the U.S. defeat a pesky Czechia team with the game-deciding goal in the shootout.

Playing in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, Team USA defeated Team Latvia 7-2 with Howard recording one assist and firing three shots on goal. With the win, the U.S. will play Team Finland in the semifinal-round on Thursday with a chance to advance to the Gold Medal Game for the fourth time in the past eight years.

Team USA will look for Howard to continue producing offensively. His five goals are tied for the second-most among all skaters at the tournament, while only seven players have recorded more points than Howard’s seven. His +9 rating is tied for the highest plus/minus rating among all skaters at the event.

Once the World Junior Championship is over, Howard will return to Michigan State University to finish his college hockey season. Through 18 games with the Spartans this year, Howard has scored five goals and added 15 assists for 20 points. The shifty forward has already bested his point total from his freshman year at University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he picked up 17 points in 35 games with six goals and 11 helpers.

Whether the U.S. wins or loses on Thursday, the team will play their final game of the tournament on Friday with the Bronze Medal Game set for 9 a.m. ET and the Gold Medal Game concluding the event with a 1:30 p.m. ET puck drop that afternoon. With just two wins needed to head home with a gold medal, Team USA will hope Howard can stay hot with goals like the one below.