Goaltender Hugo Alnefelt, who appeared in two games earlier this month with the Orlando Solar Bears, became the 714th former ECHL player to reach the National Hockey League when he debuted with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday at Florida.
Alnefelt is the 16th former ECHL player to make his NHL debut during the 2021-22 season. He stopped 17 shots in a 4-2 loss at Greenville on Dec. 8 and made 22 saves on 24 shots faced in a 4-0 loss at Atlanta on Dec. 10.
A third-round selection (71st overall) of the Lightning in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, Alnefelt has seen action in six games with Syracuse of the American Hockey League this season, where he is 2-3-1 with a 3.56 goals-against average.