Tampa Bay has signed their top pick from October’s Entry Draft, announcing the signing of center Jack Finley to a three-year, entry-level contract. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
The 18-year-old was the 57th-overall pick of the Lightning after they dealt a pair of picks (a 2020 fourth-rounder and a 2021 second-rounder) to Montreal to secure his rights. Finley is coming off of a strong sophomore campaign with WHL Kelowna where he tripled his offensive production from his rookie year, going from 19 points to 57 (19 goals, 38 assists) in 61 games. While there were more productive forwards still on the board at that time, size down the middle is an element that many teams covet and at 6’5, he certainly brings that to the table.
Last month, Finley was loaned to West Kelowna of the BCHL in an effort to get him some playing time but he was only able to get into a pair of game with the Warriors before that season was shut down. With the WHL still aiming at opening up next month, he’ll likely be returned to the Rockets before too long.
It’s unlikely that Finley will see any game action with Tampa Bay this coming season so as a result, his contract will wind up sliding a year and will still have three years remaining on it after the 2020-21 campaign.
Jack Finley plays for the Spokane Chiefs, not the Kelowna Rockets