TAMPA -- There is little doubt Isaac Howard will one day bring a winning attitude to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 20-year-old forward prospect, selected by the Lightning in the first round (No. 31) of the 2022 NHL Draft, is coming off a season of success, including a Big Ten title at Michigan State and a gold medal with the United States in the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Howard, from Hudson, Wisconsin, led the U.S. with seven goals in the World Juniors and was the leading scorer for Michigan State (25-10-3, 16-6-2 Big Ten) with 36 points (eight goals, 28 assists) in 36 games, one season after transferring from Minnesota Duluth.
"It's been great," Howard said at Tampa Bay development camp earlier this month. "I've learned so much being part of the Michigan State program. The guys there push you so hard and I learned a lot about myself, and it's made me a better player and a better teammate."
Howard said the experience of that success has also given him a greater understanding of the benefits of being part of a winning program and that he can connect the dots to the Lightning, who have made three trips to the Stanley Cup Final in the past five seasons and won the Cup in 2020 and 2021.
"It keeps you hungry," he said. "When you're winning, you want to work even harder," Howard said. "That's what they talk about here. The winning culture in Tampa Bay and what it takes to be part of that."
Lightning assistant general manager Stacy Roest said seeing Howard at camp is a chance to check on his progression as a player and give him the opportunity to show what he has improved on in the past year.
"Guys like Isaac, who have been here before, they know the program," Roest said. "He knows how we operate and we're not going to throw a lot of new things at them. We just want to make sure they are on the right path and continuing to get stronger and work on their craft."
The current plan is for Howard to return to Michigan State, where he wants to repeat as a Big Ten champion. After that will come a decision whether to stay in college or go pro. With Tampa Bay continuing to restock its forward depth, players like Howard, Conor Geekie and Dylan Duke are being viewed as a big part of the future.
"There have been so many great players here that you want to be part of that group," Howard said. "Being around this environment and seeing some of the NHL guys training here as well really gets me excited about the next steps."
