Three things to watch as Rookie Camp opens

On Thursday, 24 Tampa Bay Lightning rookies and prospects will gather at AMALIE Arena for off-ice testing, officially marking the start of Lightning rookie camp. The players will practice on the ice Friday and Saturday at the Ice Sports Forum before traveling south on Interstate 75 for Estero, where they will compete in the 2018 Prospect Showcase against similarly-comprised teams from Nashville and Washington this weekend. This year's group is comprised of some of the Bolts' most highly-touted prospects, including 2017 First Round draft pick Cal Foote, 2018 top pick Gabriel Fortier and 2017-18 CHL Player of the Year Alex Barre-Boulet.
With a number of intriguing players showcasing their skill over the next week, here are three things we'll be watching as the rookies and prospects hit the ice.

1. Who's next?
It seems each season of late the Lightning introduce a new rookie to the lineup who makes a sizable impact. Two seasons ago, Brayden Point unexpectedly made the roster out of camp and went on to produce 18 goals and 40 points in his rookie year. Now, he's an NHL All-Star. Last season, Mikhail Sergachev impressed enough in camp to make the Opening Night roster and stick with the team for the duration. Same for Yanni Gourde, who went on to set Lightning rookie records for goals (25) and points (64) in 2017-18. Anthony Cirelli made his first NHL start March 1, tallying a goal and an assist, and played every game down the stretch and during the postseason for the Bolts.
So who's next in the pipeline?
With pretty much the entire Bolts blue line returning - other than Andrej Sustr, who signed as a free agent with Anaheim this summer - a young defenseman will have a difficult proposition to crack the Lightning lineup.
But it's not impossible.
Foote is certainly a candidate. He made his pro debut last season in the AHL with Syracuse and registered a goal in six games. Erik Cernak could be ready to make the leap too. The rangy 6-foot-4 defenseman played with the Crunch the entire 2017-18 season and impressed with five goals and 18 points and a plus-30 rating.
The forward position, however, is where a rookie is most likely to break through, especially with the loss of Chris Kunitz to free agency as well as Ryan Callahan's offseason shoulder surgery, which is expected to keep him sidelined until early November. Mathieu Joseph tore it up in the AHL last season, leading Syracuse for assists (38) and points (53) while chipping in 15 goals. Alexander Volkov was equally impressive, notching a Crunch-best 23 goals. Expect both of those second-year pros to get long looks in camp. 2015 Second Round pick Mitchell Stephens is on the cusp of making the jump too, after a 19-goal, 41-point season with the Crunch in 2017-18. Or maybe the time is now for a pair of 2016 Second Round selections, Boris Katchouk and Taylor Raddysh. The Lightning certainly have plenty of young forward options at their disposal.

2. Development of Oleg Sosunov
When the Lightning drafted Oleg Sosunov in the Sixth Round of the 2016 draft, the Russian defenseman was a bit of an enigma. His listed height was 6-foot-8, but there wasn't much of an internet presence of Sosunov to confirm that number. And he was the only player from the 2016 draft class not at development camp the week following the draft because he was playing in Russia.
A year later in camp when Lightning nation got its first up-close-and-personal look at Sosunov, we learned his height wasn't an exaggeration. His skills, however, were still somewhat raw.
Now, following his first season playing North American hockey while with Moose Jaw of the WHL, where he put up seven goals and 19 assists in 71 games, and another extended look at Lightning development camp this June, Sosunov has become a rapidly rising prospect. He worked tirelessly with skating coach Barb Underhill to improve his skating and his shot has gotten noticeably better as well. Now, a player the Lightning appeared to be taking a flyer on when they drafted him two years ago is rounding into an intriguing prospect, and it will be interesting to see how his game has continued to rise during the offseason.
And, hey, you can't teach that height, so if nothing else, Sosunov will always stand out (and higher) in a crowd.

3. A healthy Jonne Tammela
Knee injuries robbed Finnish forward Jonne Tammela of nearly a year and a half on the ice.
But Tammela returned to action in 2017-18, playing 28 games for Syracuse and recording three goals and six points. And during the Lightning's development camp in June, Tammela was a standout, dazzling with his puck-handling skills and exhibiting extreme confidence with every one of his shifts, During the camp-ending 3-on-3 tournament, Tammela tied Ross Colton for the scoring title after notching five goals and nine assists in seven games.
"Last year at this time, I couldn't even skate," Tammela said following his tourney performance. "I think I'm on the right path to becoming an even better player. I just need to keep doing what I've been doing the past year. I feel like I'm confident. I'm excited to get back to work back home."
We'll get a chance during rookie camp to see if Tammela's ascension continued through the summer. If so, he could be on the verge of becoming another household name among Lightning nation.