Lightning claim Curtis Douglas off waivers from Utah

The Tampa Bay Lightning bolstered their depth at forward on Monday afternoon, claiming left-handed center Curtis Douglas off waivers from the Utah Mammoth. 

The 25-year-old spent the entirety of the 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Tucson Roadrunners, posting 10 goals, 23 points and 117 penalty minutes in 63 games, but falling short of earning a callup to the NHL squad during their first season in Utah. 

Initially selected by the Dallas Stars with the 106th overall selection of the 2018 NHL Draft, Douglas has yet to make his NHL debut, but has played parts of five seasons in the AHL with the Belleville Senators, Toronto Marlies and Roadrunners.

In total, the six-foot-nine forward has 37 goals, 97 points, and 508 penalty minutes through 261 games in his AHL career. 

Before turning pro in North America, he spent his junior career in the OHL, with four seasons split between the Barrie Colts and Windsor Spitfires. He then headed to the Linz Steel Wings of the professional-level AlpsHL in Austria to play during the OHL’s cancelled 2020-21 season. 

While Douglas is most likely to spend significant time with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch, his six-foot-nine frame offers size and grit to the Lightning organization, as they look to re-establish themselves as the premier team in the state of Florida.

Last season, the Lightning finished second in the Atlantic Division at the NHL level, and the Crunch finished third in the North Division, with both losing in the first round of their respective playoffs. 

The Lightning are set to open the 2025-26 NHL regular season on Oct. 9 against one of Douglas’ former organizations, the Ottawa Senators, while their AHL affiliate in Northern New York is set to drop the puck on Oct. 11 against the Hershey Bears, the AHL affiliate of the Washington Capitals.