The Tampa Bay Lightning have re-signed forward Gabriel Fortier to a one-year, two-way contract. Fortier was the Lightning’s 59th pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Fortier will enter his sixth season with the organization, with most of his time spent with the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, Syracuse Crunch. During the 2023-24 season, Fortier appeared in 62 regular season games with the Crunch tallying 13 goals and 26 points. During the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs, the 24-year-old appeared in eight games tallying four assists and five points. In five seasons with the Crunch, the Lachine, QC, CAN native appeared in 235 games scoring 44 goals and 100 points.
Fortier made his NHL debut with the Lightning on November 30, 2021 against the St. Louis Blues. He saw time in the Lightning lineup 11 games during his career with his only point coming from his first NHL goal scored on December 21, 2021 against the Vegas Golden Knights.
Before turning pro, Fortier spent five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League between two teams: Baie-Comeau Drakkar and the Moncton Wildcats. He played in 236 regular season games in the QMJHL, posting 110 goals and 230 points while going a plus-44. He played 13 games during the postseason, all coming with the Drakkar between 2016 and 2019, scoring four goals and seven points.
