Tampa Bay Lightning forward Dominic James has been activated off injured reserve and will be available for Game 1 of the team’s first-round series against the Montreal Canadiens.
NEWS: Dominic James has been activated off of IR.
Yesterday, Jon Cooper said he was hopeful James would be available for Game 1. #GoBolts
James has been out of the lineup since Feb. 28 after suffering an injury against the Buffalo Sabres. He was cross-checked into the boards by Sabres’ defenseman Michael Kesselring, with the two falling awkwardly after the initial contact.
James is playing in his first professional season. Through 43 games with the Lightning, the Plymouth, Mich., native has seven goals and eight assists for 15 points. He also played four games with Tampa’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, where he posted three goals and two assists for five points.
James, 23, was a 2022 sixth-round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks but did not sign a contract with the club and eventually became an unrestricted free agent.
He played four seasons of college hockey with the University of Minnesota-Duluth, and in his 2024-25 senior season, scored 14 goals and 16 assists for 30 points in 35 games. Through four NCAA seasons, James scored 30 goals and recorded 47 assists for 77 points.
James also represented the United States at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship, both the complete and canceled tournaments. In the August rendition of the event, he registered an assist in five games.
The Lightning finished the season with a 50-26-6 record and 106 points, which ranks second in the Atlantic Division and third in the Eastern Conference.
Nikita Kucherov led the team in all offensive categories with 44 goals and 86 assists for 130 points in just 76 games. It was the sixth 100-point season of his career.
