![]() ![]() ![]() By giving him easier assignments while playing alongside fellow rookies he saw success with back in Syracuse, the Lightning are trying to set him up to succeed long-term by helping him work through this rough offensive start to his sophomore season. This isn’t a bad idea, as even though he has been a stellar player early in his career, he is still relatively green when it comes to the rigors of a full NHL schedule. However, given his lack of playing time on the penalty kill, Colton is mostly being asked to take on somewhat sheltered ice time, meaning that Cooper may be looking towards him to be more of an offensive sparkplug than a defensive stalwart right now. (Photo by Scott Audette /NHLI via Getty Images)Ĭolton is also averaging a little over 1:30 on the powerplay each night, where he registered two assists so far. While Ross Colton may not be hitting the scoresheet as often to start his sophomore campaign for the Tampa Bay Lightning, he is still building good habits that should lead him to break through this scoring slump. With that even-strength ice-time, he is holding solid possession metrics, as he is sporting a Corsi and Fenwick For above 55 percent, meaning that while he is on the ice, the Lightning are controlling the puck more often than not while he is on the ice. Head coach John Cooper is still relying on him to take on meaningful even-strength minutes, with 56 percent of his draws taking place in the offensive zone. While he may not be scoring right now, Colton isn’t in the Lightning’s doghouse either. ![]() Through his first 18 games, he has only posted one goal and three points while taking on more of a depth role on the fourth line alongside Alex Barre-Boulet, Boris Kathcouk, and Taylor Raddysh. However, the start of Colton’s sophomore campaign has been far less kind to the 25-year-old. Colton Starting Slow In year TwoĪfter he scored the 2021 Stanley Cup-winning goal, there was reason to believe that Colton was on this same trajectory that made players like Tyler Johnson, Brayden Point, and Yanni Gourde stars in the NHL. Through 30 regular-season games, he posted nine goals and 12 points, which were solid totals for a player taking on roughly 10 minutes of ice time each night. Even though he started as a member of the Taxi Squad, Colton quickly distanced himself from the Lightning’s other prospects, as he didn’t look out of place in their starting lineup. Read Also: Revisiting Departed Lightning Players From 2020-21 TeamĪs a fourth-round pick back in the 2016 NHL Draft, little was expected from Colton at first, but after a few strong seasons with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, he positioned himself as a potential call-up for the completely unique 2020-21 season. Those undersized forwards who may have been overlooked in a different era that play the game hard every night and force their way into a franchise’s future by simply being impossible to ignore on the ice. When you think of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s success over the last 10 years, much of it has been built on the back of players like Ross Colton. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |