Stats:<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/gabriel-szturc-card.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Our Thoughts:<\/p>\n
The progression of Gabriel Szturc\u2019s career has been an interesting one. He was passed over each and every year of his draft eligibility. He didn\u2019t let that deter his performance as he put up 24 and 33 goals respectively in his final two seasons in the WHL with the Kelowna Rockets. <\/p>\n
He accepted an invite to the Lightning\u2019s development camp and turned that into a contract by the spring of 2024. Szturc made his professional debut in the playoffs with Syracuse, and then joined the Crunch full time for the 2024-25 season. As a rookie he put up 19 points (7 goals, 12 assists) in 54 games. It was a strong campaign and there were hopes that he could build on that in 2025-26. <\/p>\n
In the end, it was an okay year as he matched his offensive output with 19 points (9 goals, 10 assists) in 60 games. In the Crunch\u2019s playoff series against Cleveland, Szturc added a goal in four games. While the numbers were the same, there were some improvements in his game. His skating was sharper, and he found a way to help the team in all three aspects (he had three power play goals and one short-handed tally). <\/p>\n
The big question for Szturc will be if he can continue to improve enough to maintain his ice time with the Crunch, or if other prospects will move past him on the depth chart. Entering the final season of his entry-level deal, his level of play has to keep going up in order for his journey to the NHL to continue. <\/p>\n
There isn\u2019t a lot that stands out about his game, no defining trait to build around, but he does a lot of things well. His skating is solid, and his edge work has improved. Like a lot of players in the system, he likes to forecheck and doesn\u2019t mind going into the boards to get the puck. Offensively, his instincts are okay and his shot gets off a little quicker than goaltenders expect. It would be surprising to see him get to the 15-17 goal mark in the AHL if he can maintain his playing time.<\/p>\n
Szturc missed about a month of the season last year, and when he returned at the end of March he scored five of his nine goals in the final thirteen games of the season adding three assists. That\u2019s the type of production that will move him up in the rotation even as the next crop of forwards join the Crunch. <\/p>\n
Your Thoughts:<\/p>\n
No direct mentions. His highest ranking was 10th, and there was a pretty good spread with his highest number of spots at 16. <\/p>\n
Highlight Videos:<\/p>\n
There is nothing fancy about this play. Szturc put himself in a shooting position and ripped the one-timer past the goaltender. It was a nice fluid shot, but what was really nice was how he tracked the play. He crashed to the net, but drifted back into the soft, open area instead of just standing there.<\/p>\n
Here is an example of how his skating has improved. He made a couple of nice cuts along the boards to free himself of the defender and then cut inside to get to the front of the net in order to get the shot off.<\/p>\n
Szturc has the goal-scorer\u2019s instinct of getting to the right place at the right time after fighting for the puck along the boards. He also showed a nice little bit of hand-eye coordination to bat this puck into the net off of the bouncing feed.<\/p>\n
His game isn\u2019t flashy, but he is decisive with the puck. This isn\u2019t a fancy pass, but it doesn\u2019t work if Szturc doesn\u2019t know what he\u2019s going to do with it before it\u2019s on his stick. <\/p>\n
The Top 20<\/p>\n