Connor Kurth signs with Tampa Bay Lightning after Gophers hockey season

Kurth is the fifth Minnesota player to sign an NHL contract after the season.

Minnesota forward Connor Kurth (10) sets screen in front of Notre Dame s Ryan Bischel (30) during the Minnesota-Notre Dame NCAA hockey game on Saturday, January 14, 2023, at Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Indiana. Minnesota Vs Notre Dame | John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK

Forward Connor Kurth signed a two-year entry-level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, becoming the fifth Gophers player to sign with the NHL after their season ended on Thursday.

We have signed forward Connor Kurth to a two-year, entry-level NHL contract beginning with the 2025-26 season.

📝: https://t.co/2Qh2M8Cb2O pic.twitter.com/QWVudEIsIx

— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 30, 2025

Kurth had 18 goals and 21 assists this season for 39 points. It was his third season with Minnesota and he had career-high numbers across the board. He was a sixth-round pick by Tampa Bay in 2022, but he's expected to report to AHL Syracuse on a tryout for the remainder of this season before his two-year deal kicks in for 2025-26.

All of Minnesota's top five scorers from 2024-25 are now off to the NHL, as Kurth joins Jimmy Snuggerud, Oliver Moore, Matthew Wood and Sam Rinzel. Following a disappointing early exit in both the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament, the Gophers will be tasked with replacing nearly 200 points from the 2024-25 roster. The other four players were relatively expected, but Kurth comes as a bit of a surprise.

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