Lilleberg’s top focus areas this offseason were strength and skating, and the coaching staff has noticed.

“The number one thing with Lilly is his skating. He’s an NHL defenseman,” assistant coach Rob Zettler, who leads the Tampa Bay defense, said Tuesday.

“He skates really well. It’s probably his best asset. So, if you watch some of his games, before the puck would land on his stick and it was like stationary looking to make a play. Now when the puck lands on his stick, he’s moving, he’s skating, and he’s got the ability to beat the forecheck just by using his legs. He’s starting to do that, and he’s starting to have success with it. Plus, he’s getting more comfortable in the physical aspect of it. I don’t mean fighting, I mean just being hard to play against as well—the hits, stepping up on guys, being aggressive, being hard to play against in front of the net.”

Lilleberg is plus-five in his last five games alone and boasts a career-best plus-six rating in plus/minus through 22 games.

All in all, it’s been a strong stretch of games for Lilleberg, who believes in his game now more than ever.

“100 percent,” Lilleberg said when asked if he feels his game took a step this year. “The more you play, the more confident you are. I feel more comfortable.”

The defenseman who broke onto the NHL scene with 37 games for the Lightning in 2023-24 has grown a reputation as a physical force—he led the team with 105 penalty minutes one season ago and already has multiple fights this season.

His game, though, has noticeably evolved for the Lightning of late—he already has a career-high two goals to go with three assists this season while still bringing some intimidation along the way. His plus/minus is second-best among all Lighting defensemen behind only JJ Moser (+9) and ranks fourth on the entire Lightning roster.

Lilleberg feels more confident in his game, and he feels more stable in his second full NHL season on a team led by some top passers including Nikita Kucherov, Brandon Hagel and Jake Guentzel.

“I’ve tried to skate a little bit more on offense, move the legs. We know we have Kuch, Haggy and Guentz with the perfect passes, so I’ve tried to join more on offense.”

Lilleberg is up to 29 career NHL points in 135 games, all with Tampa Bay since signing as a free agent in June 2023. He is in the first year of a fresh two-year contract that runs through the 2026-27 season.