It’s not often that a prospect has his best season as a professional and then drops four spots in the rankings. Instead of a slight to Gage Goncalves, it’s a testament to the Lightning adding some higher-end young talent to the system. In regards to being NHL-ready, Goncalves is probably the number two prospect in the system. There is another, but we will get to him later in the week.
The 22-year-old has three full AHL seasons under his belt and has been productive in each and every one of them. Through 212 games he has 43 goals and 102 assists in the regular season while adding another 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) in 17 playoff games.