TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled defensemen Jack Thompson and Emil Lilleberg from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League and re-assigned defensemen Sean Day and Declan Carlile to Syracuse, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.
Thompson, 21, leads all Crunch blueliners in assists (18), points (20) and power-play points (2-9—11) through 31 games this season. He also ranks second on the Crunch for shots on goal with 78. The 6-foot-1, 178-pound Thompson was selected by Tampa Bay, 93rd overall, in the third round of the 2020 NHL Draft and is looking to make his NHL debut.
Lilleberg, 22, is in his first AHL season and ranks second among Crunch defensemen for scoring with one goal and 11 assists in 31 games this season. The 6-foot-2, 192-pound Lilleberg signed a two-year contract with Tampa Bay on June 5, 2023. The Sarpsborg, Norway native was originally selected by the Arizona Coyotes, 107th overall, in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Day, 25, ranks third among Crunch defensemen with eight assists and is tied for fourth with eight points in 17 games this season. The 6-foot-3, 219-pound defenseman has played in 240 career AHL games between the Hartford Wolf Pack and Syracuse Crunch, tallying 15 goals and 95 points. Day skated in two career NHL games, both with the Lightning in 2021-22, registering four hits, two blocks and one takeaway while averaging 10:43 time on ice.
Carlile, 23, made his NHL debut on Thursday night at Minnesota and rated plus-1 while logging a hit and two blocks in 11:27 time on ice. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Carlile ranks tied for first among Crunch defensemen with three goals and ranks third for scoring with nine points. Carlile signed with Tampa Bay on a two-year, entry-level contract on March 16, 2022 as a free agent out of Merrimack College.
