The Tampa Bay Lightning have assigned defenseman Cal Foote to the Syracuse Crunch for conditioning, Vice President and General Manager Julien BriseBois announced today. Additionally, the Crunch have signed forwards Tyler Bird and Tristin Langan and defenseman Jesse Lees to PTOs and forward Jaydon Dureau to an ATO.
Foote, 22, has missed the Lightning’s first four games of the 2021-22 regular season after having finger surgery to repair a tendon during the offseason. The 6-foot-4, 227-pound defenseman played in 35 games last season for the Lightning, posting a goal and three points to go along with a plus-9 rating and 29 penalty minutes. He has also appeared in 150 career AHL games, all with Syracuse over four seasons, collecting 18 goals and 64 points.
The Denver, Colorado native was drafted by the Bolts in the first round, 14th overall, at the 2017 NHL Draft.
Bird, 25, skated in 65 games with the Orlando Solar Bears of the ECHL last season recording 15 goals and 14 assists. He played in five games with the Crunch during the 2019-20 season posted two assists. The 6-foot-2, 205-pound forward has appeared in 144 career ECHL contests with the Solar Bears, Greenville Swamp Rabbits, Reading Royals and Wheeling Nailers since 2018 tallying 52 total points (23g, 29a).
Bird was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the fifth round, 137th overall, at the 2014 NHL Draft.
Langan, 22, played in 72 games with the Solar Bears last season earning 28 goals and 35 assists. During the 2019-20 season, the 6-foot, 206-pound forward skated in nine games with the San Jose Barracuda posting one assist and 45 games with Orlando tallying 37 points (13g, 24a).
Lees, 26, skated in 27 games with the Nailers last season tallying 16 points (10g, 6a). He also played in 18 contests with the South Carolina Stingrays posting five points (1g, 4a). During the 2019-20 season the 5-foot-11, 187-pound blueliner recorded six points (3g, 3a) in nine games with the Stingrays.
Dureau, 20, appeared in two contests with the Crunch last season earning one assist. He also played in 24 games with the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL earning 31 points (10g, 21a) and six with the Melville Millionaires of the SJHL posting 11 points (7g, 4a).
Dureau was selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the fifth round, 147th overall, at the 2020 NHL Draft.
Kyle leads sports coverage and hosts the Concrete Jungle podcast. Have a lead or question? Send it to [email protected].