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Last week we looked at which defensemen and goaltenders could see time with the Lightning this year. Today, we take a look at the forwards.

Unlike the defensemen and goalies, figuring out which forward prospects could make the team out of camp and which ones could earn a call-up is far from simple. Therefore, we’ll break down the candidates individually.

First, the givens, in no particular order: Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Steven Stamkos, Ryan Malone, Teddy Purcell, Ryan Shannon, Nate Thompson, Dominic Moore, Steve Downie, Adam Hall.

These 10 forwards, combined with the eight defensemen Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman expects to keep, as well as two goaltenders, leaves three roster spots open. Head Coach Guy Boucher will likely switch between dressing six and seven defensemen, meaning of the three forward spots open only one is guaranteed to play. It is also possible the team could carry only 12 forwards as they did last season in spurts.

While Yzerman, Boucher, and management say roster spots will be earned in a meritocracy system - and that is what the players need to hear - in today’s NHL, contract status (not necessarily salary in this case) plays a huge part in roster management. Also high on the list is the opportunity for development-rich playing time.

The Lightning currently have 44 players under contract on their 50-man organizational roster, including Brett Connolly, who only counts if he plays more than nine games at the NHL level.

Here’s a look at the candidates to fill the three open forward positions with the 2011-2012 Tampa Bay Lightning.

Now that the 2011 NHL Entry Draft is over, Bolt Prospects is issuing its 2011 Supplemental Rankings. The rankings add the 2011 draft picks, subtract prospects who did not receive qualifying offers from the club, and reflect some slight adjustments in the rankings based on changes in the depth chart. The remainder of this story includes the placement of the 2011 draft picks. For a full look at our Top-25 Rankings, please take a look at our Prospects page.

The fact that Luke Witkowski finds time during hockey season for some regular ice fishing says something about his passion for the outdoors.

But Matt Tennyson says the more telling sign is the live bass his Western Michigan University hockey teammate keeps in his room.

“He has a fish tank in his room with a bass in it,” said Tennyson, who paused and shook his head with a smile. “I guess that’s pretty hardcore. I don’t know of anyone else who has that. He’s pretty outdoorsy.”

As we start the stretch run of the 2010-2011 hockey season, BoltProspects is proud to announce its midterm rankings for the prospects of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization.

As is tradition, we will begin by reciting the rules of the rankings. Any skater prospect who was under 24 years of age on opening night of the Lightning's season and has played less than 41 NHL games in any single season and less than 82 career NHL games is eligible for the rankings. This excludes, for instance, winger Johan Harju, who turned 24 last May and is now considered an overage prospect, and Dana Tyrell, who has already played 52 games this season and is considered to be graduated from prospect status. For goaltenders, any netminder who has earned less than 30 NHL decisions in any single season and less than 41 career NHL decisions and was under 24 years of age on opening night is eligible for the rankings. That excludes Cedrick Desjardins, for instance, who turned 25 in September. The exception to these basic rules are NCAA based players, who are considered eligible prospects for the duration of their college careers regardless of age.

With the typical legal disclaimers out of the way, here are our 2010-2011 Midterm Rankings:

OHL

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds 2 @ Niagara IceDogs 6
D Brock Beukeboom, SSM: 0-0-0, E, 0 PIM
Season Totals: 43 GP, 1-7-8, -11, 54 PIM

Niagara scored the game’s final four goals after the Soo had taken a 3-2 lead 18 seconds into the third period. Brett Beukeboom was scoreless for the Greyhounds.

Owen Sound Attack 5 @ Peterborough Petes 1
D Geoffrey Schemitsch, OS: 0-0-0, E, 0 PIM
Season totals: 42 GP, 1-16-17, +15, 12 PIM
G Michael Zador, OS: Win, 24 saves on 25 shots
With Attack: 9 GP, 6-1-0-0, 3.11 GAA, .897 sv%, 0 SO
With Oshawa: 18 GP, 10-3-1-1, 3.36 GAA, .879 sv%, 1 SO
Season Totals: 27 GP, 16-4-1-1, 3.28 GAA, .885 sv%, 1 SO

Zador (pictured) extended his personal winning streak to four games. He has just one loss in his last 14 appearances, and saw his save percentage with the Attack inch closer to the .900 mark. Schemitsch, who had 40 points as a rookie last year, has just four points - all assists - in his last 15 games.