Tampa Bay Lightning reduce training camp by 27 players

Posted Sep 25, 2011 by Erik Erlendsson

Updated Sep 25, 2011 at 04:12 PM

For Lightning management and coaches, the relatively easy decisions were made on Sunday. Now general manager Steve Yzerman and company have a little over a week to make the difficult choices.

Tampa Bay reduced training camp by 27 on Sunday, leaving 26 players remaining. Those remaining players will practice Monday morning before the team departs for
Quebec to spend three days at a mountain resort north of Montreal before closing out the preseason with two games against the Canadiens, on Thursday in Montreal and Saturday in Quebec City.
The Lightning must cut at least four more players to get down to the maximum of 23 before the season begins on Oct. 7 in Carolina.

The following players were placed on waivers Sunday, and assuming are not claimed by another team, will report to Norfolk: Forwards – Mike Angelidis, Michel Ouellet, JT Wyman, Alex Picard and Trevor Smith; Defensemen – Richard Petiot and Mike Vernace.

Players who do not require waivers and were assigned to Norfolk: Goaltenders – Dustin Tokarski, Jaroslav Janus and Pat Nagle; Forwards – Tyler Johnson, Richard Panik, Carter Ashton, Alex Hutchings, James Wright. Defensemen – Mark Barberio and Radko Gudas

In addition, forwards Cory Conacher and Matt Fornataro along with defensemen Jeff Dimmen and Kevin Quick were released from their tryout agreements, but all four players are under contract with Norfolk and will report to the Admirals on Monday. Also released from their tryouts and assigned to Norfolk were forwards Eric Neilson, Gabriel Desjardins, Philip-Michael Devos and Pierre-Cedric Labrie. Ondrej Palat, a seventh-round pick in 2011, was also assigned to Norfolk’s training camp.

D Daniel Milan, who came to camp as a tryout before signing a three-year entry level contract, was assigned to his junior team, Moncton of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

Among those remaining in camp vying for the last spots on the opening night roster include 2010 first-round draft pick Brett Connolly, Mattias Ritola, Blair Jones, Tom Pyatt, and Dana Tyrell.

“There is absolutely no clarity, and right now it’s the opposite, there is a lot of players that are fighting for spots,’’ Lightning coach Guy Boucher said. “And they are not necessarily fighting for the 13th spot, they could be fighting for higher spots. And that is what I told the players the other day, the vets and everybody, it’s not still “let’s get through this training camp’’, if somebody is better than you, they are taking your spot.’’