Tampa Bay Lightning Goalie Set to Make NHL Debut a Whopping 11 Years After Being Drafted

Earlier on Saturday, the Tampa Bay Lightning demoted a veteran goal scorer, and in a corresponding move, they promoted their AHL goaltender Brandon Halverson.

As a result, he officially made his NHL debut on Saturday in a matchup with the Utah Hockey Club, marking the culmination of a very long run to get to the top level for the Michigan native.

That long road took him 11 years to make his NHL debut, as Halverson was originally a second-round pick of the New York Rangers way back in 2014, being picked up No. 59 overall.

In those two years, Halverson has posted a 2.18 and a 2.32 GAA, all while putting together a solid .913 save percentage in both seasons, and at 28-years of age, he's officially found his way back to the NHL.

This game however will simply be his debut as a starter in the NHL, as he got 13 minutes of game time as a backup off the bench in 2017/18 with the Rangers, but since then he's simply not managed to climb this high again.

His first game presents a test against the Utah Hockey Club, a team that have a very promising young offense, but after so long working to get to the NHL, it's safe to say that he'll give his best performance in this one.