"Yeah, that's pretty special," Stamkos said. "That's not something you think of at the time you get drafted to Sarnia but had two great years there and fortunate to have a great career so far in Tampa. For them to recognize that and be the first one in the history, they've had some pretty good players there, so it's pretty humbling and exciting. I'm looking forward to it."
The Markham, Ontario native was taken by Sarnia with the first overall pick in the 2006 OHL Priority Draft, and, as a 16-year-old rookie, scored 42 goals and added 50 assists in the regular season to lead the Sting to the playoffs after the team had missed out on the postseason the previous two seasons. Stamkos finished second in OHL Rookie of the Year voting to current Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane.
In his second and final season with Sarnia, Stamkos netted 58 goals, second most in the OHL, and 105 points, ranking fifth in the league. Sarnia returned to the playoffs in 2007-08, and Stamkos tallied 11 goals in nine postseason games, including a four-goal effort in a single game, to help the Sting advance to the second round.
"I haven't had a chance to speak to any (former teammates and coaches) since the announcement but definitely a couple coaches and players that I'm still in touch with over the years and I follow their careers as well since we played with each other there in Sarnia," Stamkos said. "I'm sure it'll bring back some good memories when I get there in January."
Stamkos is in his 10th season with the Lightning and currently leads the NHL for scoring (24 points), assists (18) and power-play scoring (9 points) through 13 games in 2017-18.
He is a two-time winner of the Rocket Richard Trophy (2009, 2012) and has been selected to play in four NHL All-Star Games (2011, 2012, 2015 and 2016).
