Jan 9, 2015; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Practice pucks at center ice before the Toronto Maple Leafs game against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Air Canada Centre. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
The Tampa Bay Lightning has signed forward Brayden Point to a three-year entry-level deal.
Point, who was drafted 79th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, will play the remainder of the season with the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League.
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The 19-year-old tallied 38 goals and 49 assists in 60 games with the Moose jaw Warriors of the Western Hockey League. Despite Point’s big season, the Warriors missed the WHL playoffs, thus allowing Point to now suit up with the Crunch.
In three seasons with Moose Jaw, the Calgary native has registered 236 points (99 goals) in 204 games.
He was named an Eastern Conference first-team All-Star for the 2014-15 season and was also recently named the Eastern Conference’s best player in a poll voted on by WHL coaches and players.
Point was also a member of Canada’s gold winning performance at the 2015 World Juniors. In seven games, Point had a pair of goals and two assists.
Cristiano DiGiacinto also signed a tryout deal with the Crunch Wednesday after the Windsor Spitfires’ season ended after failing to make the OHL playoffs. DiGiacinto was drafted 170th overall in 2014 and tallied 45 points (21 goals) in 63 games with the Spits in 2014-15.
However, according to syracuse.com, it doesn’t appear as though he will play in any games.
Point will join a Crunch forward core that includes Jonathan Marchessault, Yanni Gourde, Tanner Richard, Joel Vermin and Cody Kunyk.
Syracuse has 11 games left in the regular season and sit third in the Eastern Conference, leaders of the Northeast Division.