tbl-2026 Tampa Bay Lightning Top 20 Under 25: #11 Jayson Shaugabay

Summary

Jayson Shaugabay creeps up a few spots in the rankings following a strong collegiate season in 2025-26. Expect another productive season as he returns to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for his third year. Name Jayson Shaugabay Position Center Age (as of October 1, 2026) 21 Height/Weight 5’9″, 165 lbs. Expected 2026-27 Team University of Minnesota-Duluth Draft – Year, Round 2023, 4th (115th) Previous Rankings 17th ( 2023 ), 16th ( 2024 ), 16th ( 2025 ) JustinG. Ranking 10 Final Rank 11 Stats: Our Thoughts: Let it be known this is, has been, and will forever be a pro-Jayson Shaugabay website. In his second season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, the former Mr. Hockey continues to justify our hockey crush. After a freshman season that saw him produce some decent numbers (26 points in 36 games), Shaugabay increased his production to 43 points (11 goals, 32 assists) in 40 games as a sophomore. Not only that, he worked his way up to the top of the line-up with Hobey Baker Winner (and Red Wings prospect) Max Plante. All the Plante’s (Max has two brothers, Victor and Zam) will be back in Duluth along with Shaugabay, so expect plenty of offense for the Bulldogs, who bowed out in the quarter-finals to Michigan last season. He’ll likely have a big role as a top-six forward and on the number one power play unit as UMD tries to get back into the mix as one of the top college programs in the country. Shaugabay has shown some nice glimpses of his playmaking skills during his brief journeys to Tampa for development camps, where a former teammate gave rave reviews about his play, “Whenever he has the puck, he’s controlling the game,” he [Dominic James] said of Shaugabay. “There’s not a single play that Shaugs can’t see or make. He’s very offensive-oriented, but that takes nothing away from his defensive game. He’s so trustworthy in the D-zone, and not only that, but he’s so strong on the puck…Shaugs is definitely a trustworthy linemate.” James played with Shaugabay back in the 2024-25 season when the Lightning draft pick was a freshman. Even as a first-year player, Shaugabay’s offensive skills were apparent. Make no mistake about it, the 5’9″ forward is a playmaker in every sense of the word. While he does much of his damage from the half-wall on the power play, he can set up his teammates from any spot on the ice. His head is constantly up and he’s scanning the ice for seams to make passes, which usually end up right on the tape of his teammates. Shaugabay will spend the rest of his hockey career having to silence critics due to his relative lack of size. While the game is becoming more and more friendly to forwards under 6 feet tall, it will be a struggle for players like Shaugabay to gain a foothold in the league unless they continue to display exceptional skill with the puck. So far, that hasn’t been a problem for the 2023 fourth-round pick. While he isn’t crashing through the crease like a bowling ball a la Dylan Duke, Shaugabay isn’t a pushover. He knows how to get positioning in terms of rebounds while maintaining a goal-scorer’s knack for creating separation to create offense. Still, adding a little more muscle won’t be a bad idea, and staying in college for the next two seasons should help with that. His skating is fine, but he isn’t going to fly up and down the ice. Besides, he is still very effective at changing his pace of play in the zone to disrupt opponents even if he isn’t a speedster. Much like Nikita Kucherov, deception is more important than speed, and Shaugabay has plenty of shifty moves in his arsenal. His footwork is excellent, and his body control allows him to be deceptive when it comes to shooting or passing the puck (he still needs to shoot a little more). Prior to his selection in 2023, the Lightning didn’t really have anyone that fit his profile in their system, but since then they’ve added Joona Saarelainen and Oleg Kulebiakin, two playmakers that skew to the smaller side physically. They are all skilled players that if they had been three or four inches taller and 20 pounds heavier they probably wouldn’t have been available in the middle rounds. Another strong season from Shaugabay could accelerate his timeline into the professional ranks, but for now it looks like he’s still a few years away from making the leap. When he does, he should bring some fun into the organization. Your Thoughts: His highest ranking was third and he landed several votes in the top 10. His highest percentage of votes came at the 9th spot, but there were a few in the lower teens that dragged him just outside of the top 10. “Shaugabay showed nice potential at development camp.” “Jason Shaugabay I believe is one of the, if not the most underrated prospect in the system. I love everything about his game. Another guy who isn’t too big, but he’s got a ton of skill and hockey sense. I think he’s got tremendous upside and is another player that I think is going to smash through his glass ceiling.” Highlight Videos: SHAUGABAY CLEANS IT UP! pic.twitter.com/jLSmEernOZ — UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) March 15, 2026 At first glance this seems like a pretty easy tap-in off of a juicy rebound for Shaugabay. While that is true in a sense, it’s also an example of how good his hands are. He is in good position for the rebound, but it comes off the pads a little hot and handcuffs him. A lot of players might only get a little bit of the stick on it, but Shaugabay is able to make really good contact to shoot it into the net. Shaugabay scores UMD's first shootout goal! pic.twitter.com/fFVkXOBVOo — UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) March 1, 2026 This is just a fun little shootout move. He took his sweet time getting down the ice, and it seemed like he might be setting up for a little stickhandling show. Instead he snapped a quick, deceptive shot through the five-hole before the goaltender could react. Shaugbay doubles the lead!! pic.twitter.com/0oS6snlYX9 — UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) February 21, 2026 He’s not the fastest skater, but it seems like he picks up a little speed when he needs it. Again, he makes a nice quick move to beat the goaltender (after a friendly bounce). He did a really good job of pulling it to his backhand to make it tougher for the trailing defender to reach around and deflect the puck. A subtle little move, but an effective one. Arnott on the POWER PLAY!! pic.twitter.com/Gmj39Zo9UE — UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) January 11, 2026 Watching his highlights, one thing that stands out is his ability to make passes through traffic. There isn’t a lot of daylight on this one as he circled from behind the net, but the pass it right where it needs to be for the one-timer. Arnott sends it in with help from Shaugabay! pic.twitter.com/47qMeEMyhW — UMD Men's Hockey (@UMDMensHockey) January 3, 2026 His initial move is deflected, but Shaugabay doesn’t stop on the play. He gathered the puck, turned the defender inside out, and took it behind the net knowing that his play was to center it to his teammate. Once again the puck is right on the tape.