Can it already be hockey season again? Almost, but the Tampa Bay Lightning can’t prepare for their Oct. 1 season opener against the New York Rangers without training camp.

And that’s what begins on Thursday morning, when the Bolts hit the rink at the TGH Ice Plex in Brandon.

Fans typically are allowed to observe from the limited bleacher area on a first-come basis.

There will be some camp differences under the new collective bargaining agreement that kicked in Wednesday, when players reported for medical evaluations and media day:

Camp will be shorter, dropping from 21 days to 13 for experienced players (18 days for first-year players). This is to accommodate the increase from 82 to 84 regular-season games.Teams will play only four exhibition games, down from six to eight. Tampa Bay’s first preseason game is scheduled for Sunday at 5 p.m. against the Nashville Predators at Benchmark International Arena. The Bolts also host the Florida Panthers on Sept. 24.Veterans with 100 or more NHL games can play no more than two preseason games.Mandatory fitness tests — such as the exhaustive “bag” skating or incline treadmill runs — have been eliminated, meaning it is up to the players to be in shape on day one.

With only 13 days — minus the four game days — ice time will be at a premium for coaches to ease veterans into the lineup, evaluate younger players and test line combinations.

Much of the 23-man roster is penciled in, but there are a handful of spots up for grabs. Young players looking to crack the NHL unexpectedly and those on professional tryout agreements have a shorter runway to impress management and coaching staffs.

For the Lightning, who will field a mostly experienced lineup, the shortened camp likely won’t be difficult to manage. Most of the veteran players have been skating together regularly throughout the summer.

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“It’s just great to see guys actually willing to spend time on the ice rather than on golf course,” said Nikita Kucherov, last season’s Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL’s MVP.

Kucherov, 33, who has been skating regularly with teammate Brayden Point, does not yet have a contract extension and could hit the free agent market July 1 if one is not hammered out by then.

“Throughout these contract negotiations, both parties I know would prefer to have a deal today to put that behind us,” Lightning general manager Julien BriseBois said. “We haven’t been able to do that. I’m still in touch with his agent to keep the lines of communication open with the goal being to get Nikita signed to a contract that will keep him in Tampa many years to come.”



Kucherov said his focus solely is on hockey and shut down additional questions regarding his future during his media day session: “I control what I can control. I will do my best when I’m on the ice.”

Among those making the most of his summer was veteran defenseman John Carlson, who signed a two-year deal with Tampa Bay after the loss of Darren Raddysh in free agency.

“I obviously came early,” said Carlson. “The school started early, so I was here for [a] while, and I guess not all that surprising, but there was a lot of guys here over the last month. So, I would say that was a big plus for me already getting familiar with a lot of the guys skating with them for weeks now.”

Team captain Victor Hedman, 35, spent eight weeks in Sweden and returned to Florida on Aug. 1, making the most of the break after a season with injuries and time away because of mental health issues. He was out the final 15 regular-season games and all seven games of the first-round playoff loss to Montreal.

“It’s been a great summer,” Hedman said. “There’s nothing nagging me body-wise or anything like that, so I’ve been able to push the body to the limit and be in as good of shape as possible.”

The Lightning’s top young players just spent three days in North Carolina at the annual prospect showcase, along with the Nashville Predators and Carolina Hurricanes.

There look to be additional opportunies for them, with center Yanni Gourde weeks away from returning after offseason hip surgery and center Dominic James recently suffering a broken hand.

“I’m super excited to get training camp going,” said forward Dylan Duke, 23, one of those prospects trying make a permanent jump from the Lightning’s farm team in Syracuse. “It’s kind of a long summer, and I’m just thankful to be back and get ready to go.”

The training camp roster features 67 players, with 37 forwards, 23 defensemen and seven goaltenders.

The TGH Ice Plex is at 10222 Elizabeth Place, just east of Falkenburg Road.

Lightning training schedule

Thursday (TGH Ice Plex)

Group C: 8:45 a.m. – Goalies on ice (North rink); 9 a.m. – Practice (North); 10:05 a.m. – Practice (North)Group A: 11:15 a.m. – Goalies on ice (North); 11:30 a.m. – Practice (North); 12:35 p.m. – Practice (North)Group B: 11:15 a.m. – Goalies on ice (South rink); 11:30 a.m. – Practice (South); 12:35 p.m. – Practice (South)

Friday (TGH Ice Plex)

Group C: 8:45 a.m. – Goalies on ice (North); 9:00 a.m. – Practice (North); 10:05 a.m. – Practice (North)Group A: 11:15 a.m. – Goalies on ice (North); 11:30 a.m. – Practice (North); 12:35 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)Group B: 11:15 a.m. – Goalies on ice (South); 11:30 a.m. – Practice (South); 12:35 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)

Saturday (TGH Ice Plex)

Group A: 8:40 a.m. – Goalies on ice (North); 8:55 a.m. – Practice (North); 9:30 a.m. – Practice (South); 10:15 a.m. – Practice (North)Group B: 11:45 a.m. – Goalies on ice (North); Noon – Practice (North); 1:05 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)Group C: 11:45 a.m. – Goalies on ice (South); Noon – Practice (South); 1:05 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)

Sunday

Game Group (Benchmark International Arena): 9:15 a.m. –Pregame skate; 5 p.m. – Preseason game vs. Nashville PredatorsGroup B (TGH Ice Plex): 10:15 a.m. – Goalies on ice (North); 10:30 a.m. – Practice (North); 11:35 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)Group C (TGH Ice Plex): 10:15 a.m. – Goalies on ice (South); 10:30 a.m. – Practice (South); 11:35 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)

Monday

Tuesday

Game Group: 10 a.m. – pregame skate (TGH Ice Plex – North); 7 p.m. – preseason game vs. Nashville Predators (Bridgestone Arena, Nashville)Group A (TGH Ice Plex): 10:45 a.m. – Goalies on ice (South); 11 a.m. – Practice (South); 11:30 a.m. – Practice (North)Group C (TGH Ice Plex): 9:15 a.m. – Goalies on ice (South); 9:30 a.m. – Practice (South)

Wednesday, Sept. 23 (TGH Ice Plex)

Group A: 12:15 p.m. – Goalies on ice (South); 12:30 p.m. – Practice (South); 1:15 p.m. –Practice (North)Group B: 2 p.m. – Practice (South)Group C: 10:30 a.m. – Practice (North)

Thursday, Sept. 24

Game Group (Benchmark International Arena): 10 a.m. – Pregame skate; 7 p.m. – Preseason game vs. Florida PanthersGroup B (TGH Ice Plex): 10:45 a.m. Goalies on ice (North); 11 a.m. – Practice (North); 12:05 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)Group C (TGH Ice Plex): 10:45 a.m. Goalies on ice (South); 11 a.m. – Practice (South); 12:05 p.m. – Scrimmage (North)

Friday, Sept. 25 (TGH Ice Plex)

Group A: 11:45 a.m. – Goalies on ice (South); Noon – Practice (South); 12:45 p.m. – Practice (North)Group B: 9:30 a.m. – Practice (North)

Saturday, Sept. 26

9 a.m. – Pregame skate (TGH Ice Plex North); 6 p.m. – Preseason game vs. Florida Panthers (Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise)

Sunday, Sept. 27

Monday, Sept. 28 (Hertz Arena, Estero)