The Tampa Bay Lightning re-signed forward Cole Koepke to a one-year, two-way contract today, the team said in a media release.
Koepke, 25, was a surprise name on the Lightning’s opening night roster for the 2022-23 campaign. A sixth-round pick in 2018, Koepke registered just one goal in 17 games, however, and then was sent to the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch for the rest of the season after Anthony Cirelli returned from offseason shoulder surgery. There, he took a significant step back offensively from his 2021-22 minor league totals, registering seven goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 52 games.
The Lightning did not release details of the contract.
Tampa Bay hopes 2022-23 was a temporary dip in Koepke’s production, although he’s likely just a year or two away from reaching the top of his development curve. With more seasoning in Syracuse next year, the Lightning would like to see production closer to his last two seasons at the University of Minnesota Duluth, where he notched 56 points in 62 games across his sophomore and junior seasons before turning pro at the end of 2020-21.
Koepke was a pending restricted free agent and eligible for arbitration. Per CapFriendly, he was due a qualifying offer of $787,500 on a one-year deal if an agreement wasn’t reached before the June 30 deadline.