With the Lightning winning the No. 1 pick in this summer's NHL Entry draft, all eyes in Tampa Bay turn toward the consensus top overall pick, 18-year-old Steven Stamkos of the Ontario Hockey League.
Coveted for his incredible skating ability and rocket-hard shot, the 6-foot-1, 180-pound center from Unionville, Ontario, seems to be the hands-down favorite to go as this year's top draft pick. After accumulating 197 points (100 goals, 97 assists) in two seasons with the OHL's Sarnia Sting, Stamkos seems ready to break into the NHL and may very well do so in a Lightning uniform next season.
"To have the opportunity to have the No. 1 pick and have that player we think is NHL-ready be a forward, that's a real nice position for our franchise to be in," Executive Vice President and General Manager Jay Feaster told the St. Petersburg Times.
Tampa Bay Lightning - Features: Draft Watch: Steve Stamkos - 04/10/2008