The Lightning have signed left-winger Cooper Flinton to a two-year, entry-level deal beginning next season, according to a team release. The forward just wrapped up his junior season at Dartmouth College. He will finish the season with the Bolts’ AHL affiliate in Syracuse on a tryout agreement.
Flinton, 21, was a seventh-round selection of the Lightning in the 2021 draft but barely played that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He spent his post-draft season with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League before making the jump to Division I NCAA play with Dartmouth.
The 6’2″, 205-lb winger was more of a power forward in his junior days, but he’s shifted his game to be more scoring-oriented since joining the Big Green. In 2022-23, he made a decent impact as a freshman – ranking fifth on Dartmouth in scoring with 6-9–15 in 27 games. He’s upped that production over the last two years, posting 15-10–25 in 30 games last season and 11-13–24 in 32 games this year. He’s a strong top-six forward on a Dartmouth team coming off an 18-win season, its highest total since 2015-16.
Flinton doesn’t earn mentions in most public rankings of the Bolts’ prospect pool. A recall is certainly possible before his deal runs out at the end of the 2026-27 season, but he’s likely destined to play a full-time role with Syracuse. His performance there will dictate whether he receives a qualifying offer that summer to remain in the Tampa organization. The Bolts now have 28 out of the maximum 50 contracts on their books for next season, per PuckPedia.