TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning made seven picks during Day 2 of the 2024 NHL Draft today at Sphere in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Lightning’s 2024 draft is presented by Florida Blue.
Tampa Bay traded Tanner Jeannot to the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2025 NHL Draft and a fourth-round selection (118th overall) in the 2024 NHL Draft, which they used to select defenseman Jan Golicic from the Gatineau Olympiques of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League. The 6-foot-6, 198-pound blue liner appeared in 65 regular season games for Gatineau last season, tallying three goals and 29 points. A native of Jesenice, Slovenia, Golicic ranked tied for first in assists (26) among Gatineau defensemen and second for points. Golicic is the first Slovenian player drafted by the Lightning in franchise history.
In the fourth round, the Lightning used the 128th overall selection to draft forward Hagen Burrows from Minnetonka High School in Minnesota. Burrows, a 6-foot-2, 176-pound winger split time between Minnetonka High School and the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League last season. In 28 games with Minnetonka High School, Burrows recorded 19 goals and 59 points, while he posted nine goals and 22 points in 25 games with the Musketeers. Born in Orono, Minnesota, Burrows is committed to play college hockey at the University of Denver.
With the 149th overall pick, the Lightning selected forward Joona Saarelainen from KalPa of the Finnish junior league. A native of Mikkeli, Finland, Saarelanien recorded 13 goals and 36 points in 41 games as an alternate captain with KalPa last season. The 5-foot-9, 183-pound center represented Finland as an alternate captain in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and tallied three goals and four points in five games.
Tampa Bay used its lone pick in the sixth round, 181st overall, to select forward Kaden Pitre from the Flint Firebirds of the Ontario Hockey League. Pitre, 18, registered 10 goals and 30 points in 35 games during his second OHL season with Flint in 2023-24. A native of Stouffville, Ontario, the 5-foot-11, 168-pound center ranked ninth among Flint forwards for scoring last season.
With the 195th overall selection, the Lightning drafted forward Joe Connor from the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the USHL. The 5-foot-10, 174-pound forward recorded 31 goals and 60 points in 50 games with Muskegon last season, ranking tied for fourth in scoring among all Lumberjacks skaters. Connor led Muskegon in shorthanded points with four, while ranking third for power-play goals with nine.
Tampa Bay acquired the 199th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft in a trade that sent Mikhail Sergachev to the Utah Hockey Club. The Lightning used the pick to select forward Noah Steen from Mora IK of HockeyAllsvenskan. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Steen scored 14 goals and tallied 17 points in 40 games with Mora IK last season. He also appeared in 12 qualification games for Mora IK and registered one goal and five points. A native of Oslo, Norway, Steen is the first player from Norway to be drafted in Lightning history.
With its final pick of the draft, 206th overall, Tampa Bay selected goaltender Harrison Meneghin from the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League. Meneghin, 19, appeared in 53 games for Lethbridge in 2023-24, posting a record of 27-20-5 with three shutouts, a goals-against average of 2.59 and a save percentage of .919. The 6-foot-3, 170-pound netminder was named to the WHL’s First All-Star Team last season.
Lightning Selections at 2024 NHL Draft
Round 4 – 118th overall (from Los Angeles): D Jan Golicic | Gatineau (QMJHL)
Round 4 - 128th overall (from Edmdmonton: F Hagen Burrows | Minnetonka (HIGH-MN)
Round 5 – 149th overall: F Joona Saarelainen | KalPa (Finland)
Round 6 – 181st overall: F Kaden Pitre | Flint (OHL)
Round 7 – 195th overall (from Chicago): F Joe Connor | Muskegon (USHL)
Round 7 – 199th overall (from Utah): F Noah Steen | Mora IK (Sweden)
Round 7 – 206th overall (from Minnesota): G Harrison Meneghin | Lethbridge (WHL)
