The Tampa Bay Lightning have seen enough of Alexey Lipanov to sign him to an entry level contract. Hailing from Moscow, Russia, Steve Yzerman and Lightning Scouting Director Al Murray pulled the trigger in picking him in the third round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, making him the 76th overall selection. After the draft, Al Murray commented that they had been considering Lipanov with their second-round pick that they ultimately used to take fellow Russian Alexander Volkov.
Yzerman and Murray are typically “stick to the board” drafters. Going into the draft, they’ve done all of their scouting, research, and analysis and ranked every player on their board.