Tampa Bay Lightning 4th year center Carter Verhaeghe(21) scores himself a one-year two-way extension to stick after posting a career best 17 goals and 31 assists for 48 points in 58 AHL games with a +18 rating, including a team high 7 power play tallies, 4 game-winners, then went on to add 8 more points (1-7) in 7 Calder Cup Playoff contests.
The 6’2″ 185 lbs. forward was originally a Toronto Maple Leafs‘ 3rd round pick in the 2013 draft (#82 overall), he’s been twice traded, first to New York Islanders, where he spent a pair of years in their system before heading to Florida.
Up until last season, he’d split his rookie and sophomore campaigns with 36 ECHL games for affiliate Kansas City Mavericks (20-37-57) with a monster +27 rating, plus another 11 points in 10 2016 Kelly Cup Playoff contests.
He was also able to manage a tidy 16 goals and 13 assists in 49 games with Bridgeport Sound Tigers and another +12 plus/minus.
A former captain for Niagara IceDogs of the OHL, he twice notched 82 points as a third and fourth year player and won 2013 WJC Gold.
The 22-year old should compete hard in camp, then get back to work with Syracuse Crunch to play hard enough to earn the NHL recall.