Joe Connor

October 2024 – Drafted 195th in 2024 by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Overlooked his first draft-eligible year, Connor heard his name called by the Lightning this time. He is a fast, straight-line skater with a relentless motor. He hustles to every puck and every play and is not afraid to crash the net and use his body, even standing at 5-10. A sniper foremost, Connor likes to shoot the puck at the net from anywhere, anytime. He is good at taking any space the defense gives him; the issue is he can’t create his own space. His skating is only north-south, his puckhandling is subpar, and he lacks any advanced playmaking tools, so he is only capable of easier plays. At his size, it is very rare to succeed in the NHL with a north-south playstyle. If Connor tries to make it to the NHL, he’ll have to add more deception, an ability to create space, better playmaking, and an east-west element to his game. It will be quite the uphill battle for Connor. Markus Roach