A day after the Tampa Bay Lightning signed Swedish goaltending prospect Hugo Alnefelt to an entry-level contract, they inked Russian netminder Amir Miftakhov to one as well. The young puck-stopper was drafted by the Lightning in the 6th round of the 2020 draft and just turned 21 last month. It appears that the Lightning and, by default, the Syracuse Crunch will be going young next season.
Miftakhov debuted at the 21st spot in our latest Top 25 Under 25 rankings. His play at the 2020 Under-20 World Championships, where he started in front of uber-prospect Yaroslav Askarov and backed Team Russia to a silver medal had a lot to with the ranking.