This post has been updated.
The National Hockey League’s Tampa Bay Lightning announced Tuesday afternoon that they signed Cornell’s Alex Green to a two-year, entry-level contract. The Lightning selected Green in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, with the 121st pick in the fourth round.
Green, who played in all 29 games with the Red last season, was honored as the ECAC’s Best Defensive Defenseman in March. Over three years, the blueliner accumulated playing time in 78 contests.
Green’s 2019-20 season marked a comeback following a sophomore campaign in which he missed 16 games due to a concussion sustained in the third game of the year.
The Lightning selected Green in his third year of draft eligibility, following an impressive freshman campaign in which he posted a plus-nine rating — his junior season saw him playing an even larger role, posting a plus-20 rating that was tied for best on the Red.
“This is definitely an exciting moment for me and my family,” Green told the Sun after getting drafted. “Tampa was one of the teams I had talked to during the course of the season, so I thought there was maybe a chance of going to them.”
His seven goals were also the most of any defenseman on last season’s nationally-ranked No. 1 squad.
“Congratulations to Alex,” head coach Mike Schafer ’86 told Cornell Athletics on Tuesday. “This is great for him, and we wish him nothing but success with Tampa Bay.”
Green’s departure is the second from the Class of 2021, after forward Morgan Barron signed with the New York Rangers last month.
“I think that what sets [Green] apart from a lot of other people is his ability to get around the ice,” Schafer told the Sun after Green was drafted in 2018.
Though the Ivy League announced over the summer that there would be no varsity competition for the duration of the fall semester, the door was left open for sports to resume after the conclusion of final exams for the semester. While the possibility of Cornell hockey this season remains, neither Green nor Barron will play another game with the Red.
The Lightning are currently in playoff contention in the NHL bubble in Toronto. After eliminating the Boston Bruins on Aug. 31, the No. 2-seeded Lightning advanced to the conference finals. The team is now up 3-1 in a series against the New York Islanders, after a 4-1 win Sunday evening.
Other NHL draftees currently playing with Cornell are freshmen forwards Jack Malone (Vancouver Canucks) and Matt Stienburg (Colorado Avalanche), junior defenseman Misha Song (New York Islanders) and senior defenseman Matt Cairns (Edmonton Oilers). They all remain slated to join the Red for the 2020-21 season, should it come to fruition.
Correction appended: This article previously stated that the Lightning were currently playing in Toronto. The team is now in Edmonton.