List of Tampa Bay Lightning draft picks

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The Tampa Bay Lightning, colloquially known as the Bolts, is a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. Notably, they were founded in 1992 as an expansion team and presently competes as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). Moreover, team is owned by Vinik Sports Group, LLC, with Jeffrey Vinik serving as chairman and Julien BriseBois taking care as the general manager of the team. Furthermore, the team plays its home games at the Amalie Arena in Downtown Tampa.

Regarding its achievements, the team has won three Stanley Cups (2003–04, 2019–20, 2020–21), four Conference Championships (2003–04, 2014–15, 2019–20, 2021–22), four Division Championships (2002–03, 2003–04, 2017–18, 2018–19) and a sole Presidents' Trophy (2018–19). The Lightning are also associated with Syracuse Crunch of the AHL and the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL as their minor league affiliates. Notably, their inaugural participation in the NHL Entry Draft was in 1992, where they chose Roman Hamrlik as the first overall pick.

Tampa Bay Lightning Draft Picks Year on Year

The Tampa Bay Lightning have consistently drafted players who have significantly contributed to their on-ice success. In 2023, they selected promising talents like Ethan Gauthier and Jayson Shaugabay. The year prior to that, Isaac Howard was their top pick with Lucas Edmonds and others filling the other spots. Notably, the Lightning have drafted 190 players from 13 different nations till date.

Since 2000, the Tampa Bay Lightning's biggest draft boom has been Nikita Kucherov who was selected in the second round of the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Kucherov later became a superstar, highlighted by a 128-point season. Other notable booms include Brayden Point, a third-round pick in 2014 who become a top-six forward, and Ondrej Palat, a seventh-round pick in 2011 who has been a versatile and reliable player for the team. Conversely, the team's biggest bust was Alexander Svitov who was taken third overall in 2001 but failed to meet expectations and returned to Russia after a brief and unimpressive NHL stint. Other notable busts include Nikita Alexeyev, the eighth overall pick in 2000 who struggled to make an impact, and Andy Rogers, the 30th overall pick in 2004 who never advanced beyond the AHL and retired early.

The following table looks at Tampa Bay Lightning's draft picks over the years: