He's ready to play

Let's be real here. It's a roll of the dice any time you head out to hound pre-training camp skates. Honestly, you never know who's going to attend. Mostly, it's the new faces and guys within something to prove.

It's rare, I'd say, when one of a team's top stars shows up so early.

In Tampa Bay's case, it was Steven Stamkos, who survived and, ultimately, thrived in, his rookie NHL season, who was taking part in Wednesday's informal skate with a handful of teammates.

To commemorate the event, the second-year center, who set the Lightning's rookie goal record (23) last season, signed this Lightning puck.