Tampa Bay Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois spoke on Wednesday during the second on-ice day of 2025 development camp, addressing the team’s early approach to this offseason.
BriseBois spoke on a number of topics, including a pair of free agency signings from Tuesday and offseason plans.
We also caught up with one of the newest draftees in 2025 second-round pick Ethan Czata as well as 2024 draft pick Joe Connor, a forward who just finished his freshman season of college hockey.
BriseBois: Untapped potential in free agents, Finley could earn NHL chance this season
The Tampa Bay Lightning signed one external player to a one-way NHL contract after NHL free agency officially opened on Tuesday, adding 26-year-old forward Pontus Holmberg to the organization. The team then signed 24-year-old forward Jakob Pelletier early Wednesday morning, inking a three-year contract that begins as a two-way deal before converting to a one-way deal in seasons two and three.
Both players entered the offseason as restricted free agents with their respective teams but went unqualified due to holding arbitration rights. BriseBois and the Lightning believe both carry untapped potential.
Holmberg, who scored seven goals and 19 points in 68 games for the Toronto Maple Leafs last season, can slot in at center or on the wing. The Swedish forward is most known for defensive acumen and speed, and the Lightning targeted Holmberg when they learned he was headed to unrestricted free agency.
Holmberg played with Lightning captain Victor Hedman at the World Championship, and the team heard positive reviews in their scouting process.
“Right now I like the makeup of our team…This was a really good team,” BriseBois said, “and I think Holmberg makes us an even better defensive team on what was already a really strong defensive team.”
Holmberg will likely spend time at center and on the wing throughout the year.
Tampa Bay signed Pelletier to a three-year contract in the early hours of Wednesday. The former first-round pick by the Calgary Flames in 2019 scored seven goals and 19 points in 49 NHL games between Calgary and the Philadelphia Flyers.
Pelletier’s contract is a two-way deal in 2024-25 and then pivots to a one-way contract for the final two seasons. Pelletier has scored 130 career points in 139 career games in the American Hockey League.
BriseBois said injuries hampered some of Pelletier’s development at a young age, but the Lightning see potential in him. Syracuse Crunch head coach Joel Bouchard knows Pelletier from time with Hockey Canada.
“Everyone that we talked to over the years (said) he’s high, high character, really competitive, really driven. So we think the person’s worth investing in because he’s going to do everything on his end to get us a return on that investment. And the skillset is there because he’s skilled, he’s competitive, he can make plays…keep working with him, try to get him to be a better version of what he is today. And if we do that, we’re going to end up getting a really good, young NHL player at a really good contract.”
Tampa Bay didn’t expect Holmberg to be an unrestricted free agent this summer, so they jumped to sign him when he became available. Other than that, Tampa Bay has been leading up to a quiet offseason for months.
The Lightning made their 2025 trade deadline acquisition of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from Seattle—and then re-signed Gourde—partly because they anticipated this summer’s free agent market being a lighter group and both players can fit up and down the Tampa Bay lineup.
BriseBois said the team will keep looking for ways to get better, adding their projected $1.95 million in cap space is a benefit. BriseBois did maintain that it will likely be a quieter offseason compared to the previous 12 months.
“We will remain on the lookout between now and the start of the season, between now and the trade deadline. It’s (cap space) a luxury we haven’t had in the past. It might also mean we can carry more players and there’s more internal competition for ice time, which is also healthy, but I don’t expect us to be very active.”
Some of that internal competition could be in the bottom six and include Jack Finley.
The organization believes in the 22-year-old forward, who played his first career NHL game last season. The right-handed center could push for an NHL roster spot in 2024-25 after scoring 14 goals and 28 points in 40 AHL games in Syracuse last season.
“Jack Finley’s in the mix now,” BriseBois said…”I am fairly confident he’d already be in the NHL if it weren’t for the injuries he suffered over the years, and now he’s at a point where he’s going to be given that opportunity. He’s done it really well at the AHL level. He’s been that penalty kill, right-shot face-off guy who excels in the dot, and we’re going to give him the opportunity to grow into that role at the NHL level.”
Czata takes to Lightning ice for first time
Four days after being selected by Tampa Bay with the 56th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft, forward Ethan Czata took the ice in a Lightning jersey for the first time on Wednesday.
The 18-year-old spoke prior to his on-ice session, saying he is happy to be with the Lightning this week after scoring 21 goals and 55 points with the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL last season.
“In my time being alive they’ve won a couple cups, so I think it’s a winning organization,” Czata said. “Everyone here wants to win, and I think that’s something I want to do, too, is win a Stanley Cup eventually in my life. So this is the place I want to be.”
He said touring AMALIE Arena on Tuesday was exciting, adding he hopes to play in front of the fans in Tampa in the future.
The first few days of camp have been about meeting his fellow Lightning prospects and learning along the way. His big takeaway so far has been drilling down on the process.
That began through video work with Lightning skating coach consultant Barb Underhill.
“They’re really big on details here. I think that every little detail helps you become a better hockey player. We’re about to go on for skating, and I was with (skating coach Barb Underhill) looking at my skating stride the other day, and I kind of realized that ‘m always able to get better. I can grow way more. It’s awesome kind of just having those resources and the people that want to help you.”
After getting drafted in Los Angeles last Saturday, the Brompton, Ontario product is happy to be one step closer to reaching the NHL.
“It’s kind of surreal still. It’s kind of crazy I’m in the Tampa Bay lighting practice facility, putting on Tampa gear and going on the ice with a bunch of Tampa staff,” Czata said. “So it’s pretty awesome. Obviously this is something that I’ve dreamed of, and to finally be able to get closer and closer to my dream is awesome.”
Connor reflects on freshman season
After being selected in the seventh-round by Tampa Bay in the 2024 NHL Draft, forward Joe Connor ended his first season of NCAA hockey with a big team honor at Northeastern University.
Connor’s teammates and coaches chose him to receive the Rookie of the Year Award after he scored seven goals and 17 points in 37 games during his first season of college hockey.
The New Hampshire native’s seven goals were fourth-most on the team. He led the roster with 47 penalty minutes.
“Not the end we were looking for, but I think I improved tremendously on my skating and defensive zone play,” he said at development camp Wednesday. “Just playing in the system and learning the system just helped progressively so much throughout the season.”
This is Connor’s second development camp with the Lightning, and he feels more prepared this time around.
“Everything’s going great,” he said. “Getting on the ice for the first time today felt good. I’m way more comfortable than last year, and getting to know the younger guys is cool.”
The 20-year-old forward described himself as a “hard-nosed forward that likes to get gritty in the corners” but can also make plays with the puck.
He hopes to build on that this week at development camp as well as in his second year at Northeastern. The Howlin Huskies will look to improve on their 14-20-3 record last season.
“Honestly I think it just starts with getting to know the new guys. We’re going to have a lot of new guys coming in and just want to hit the ground running and being motivated from what happened last season.”