Well, if nothing else, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s recent run of injuries is giving fans a chance to see some new players at the NHL level. Prior to their game against the Florida Panthers, the team announced yet another recall as forward Jakob Pelletier was brought up from the Syracuse Crunch. If Pelletier is in the line-up tonight, he will become the sixth player to make his Lightning debut this season, and they haven’t cracked the 20-game mark yet.

The 24-year-old Pelletier was signed to a three-year contract this summer after the Philadelphia Flyers decided not to tender the restricted free agent an offer. It was a somewhat surprising move considering they had acquired him just a few months earlier in a trade with Calgary, and the former first-round draft pick had a fairly solid pedigree outside of some issues with injuries. The Flyers loss was the Lightning’s gain, and Pelletier has been on an absolute tear in Syracuse.

Through 13 games he is tied for the team lead in points with Dylan Duke. Pelletier has 5 goals and a team-leading 9 assists over that span while skating on the top line and power play unit. He has definitely earned the recall, and could very well slot into a top-six role if Brandon Hagel isn’t able to skate tonight after taking a big hit in the Lightning’s loss to the New York Rangers earlier in the week.

While he doesn’t bring a ton of size to the table, Pelletier fits the Lightning mold in the sense that he plays with a lot of energy, and doesn’t disappear in the defensive end. Unlike some other players in the system, though, he does have some offensive skills that skew towards the higher end of the spectrum.

The kid has scored at every level he’s played at and has averaged almost a point a game during the bits and pieces of the five seasons he’s been in the AHL (144 points in 156 games). The production hasn’t quite followed at the NHL level yet (29 points in 86 games with the Flames and Flyers) but part of that, especially with the Flyers, could be based on usage. If he gets a crack at the middle-six with the Lightning, he could give them a little boost, a la Dominick James, as the team works its way through this run of injuries.

It is possible that they will be without James, Hagel, Anthony Cirelli, and Pontus Holmberg up front, and while Scott Sabourin and Curtis Douglas provide a certain set of skills, offense isn’t usually one of them. Pelletier should be able to help out in that department during the back-to-back weekend series.

Official Press Release:

TAMPA BAY – The Tampa Bay Lightning have recalled forward Jakob Pelletier from the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League, Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois announced today.

Pelletier, 24, has appeared in 13 games for the Crunch this season, tallying five goals and 14 points. The 5-foot-10, 172-pound forward leads Syracuse skaters with nine assists and four power-play goals, while his 14 points are tied for the team lead. Pelletier has played a total of 152 career AHL games between the Crunch, Calgary Wranglers and Stockton Heat, posting 56 goals and 144 points.

A native of Quebec City, Quebec, Pelletier owns 11 goals and 29 points while averaging 11:57 of time on ice in 86 career NHL games between the Calgary Flames and Philadelphia Flyers. During the 2024-25 season, Pelletier set career highs for goals (7), assists (12) and points (19), playing 24 games with Calgary and 25 games with Philadelphia.

Pelletier was originally drafted by the Flames in the first round, 26th overall, of the 2019 NHL Draft and was signed by Tampa Bay as a free agent on July 2, 2025.