Declan Carlile remains with Lightning on two-year, two-way deal

Defenceman Declan Carlile has re-signed for the next two years with the Tampa Bay Lightning, the team announced Thursday.

Carlile, 24, suited up for 61 games with the Lightning’s AHL squad, the Syracuse Crunch, last season where the blue-liner netted seven goals while totalling 27 points. He ranked tied for first among Crunch defensemen for goals and second for assists (20), points, plus/minus (plus-10) and power-play assists (six). Carlile and the Crunch appeared in eight games throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs, where he continued to make an impact, recording one goal and five points, which had him tied for the second-most among all Crunch skaters.

Coming in at six-foot-one and 185 pounds, the defenceman debuted for his big league club on Jan. 4, 2024, where the Lightning took on the Minnesota Wild. The only NHL game of his young career saw him record two blocked shots and tallied a hit in 11:27 minutes of action.

A native of Hartland, Michigan, Carlile went undrafted out of Merrimack College before signing his first contract with the Lightning on March 16, 2022.