Mission’s Gage Goncalves has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The team’s vice president and general manager, Julien BriseBois, announced the news on Dec. 13.
At only 19, Goncalves has had an exciting year. He was drafted to Tampa Bay in the second round, No. 62 overall on Oct. 7 during the 2020 NHL Draft.
For the 2019-2020 regular season with the Everett Silvertips, the young centre recorded 33 goals and 38 assists in the 60 games he played.
He ranked second on the Silvertips for goals, and in third for points overall. The 19-year old was also tied for fifth in the WHL for power-play goals with 14 scored, and tied for 11th with regular-play goals.
He’s played a total of 128 career games in the WHL over three seasons, registering 34 goals and 86 points, along with 72 penalty minutes.
Goncalves played in 10 WHL playoff games in 2019, scoring two goals and getting six points.
Over the summer he was a last-minute invite to the Canada’s National Junior Team Sport Chek Summer Development Camp, and was invited to the Hockey Canada’s World Juniors selection camp in late October.
So excited to sign my 1st NHL contract thank you @TBLightning for taking a chance on me! https://t.co/aAzCeT3JTd
— Gage Goncalves (@GageGoncalves) December 13, 2020
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