Today James Mirtle took to X to announce that the Tampa Bay Lightning had released Ilya Usau. The 22-year-old had spent the last two seasons in the organization trying to carve out a role to make the NHL. He is now expected to head to the KHL in Russia.
During his time in North America, Ilya Usau played exclusively in the AHL. In 99 games he tallied a total of 30 points in the AHL over two seasons.
At just 22 Ilya Usua still has a bright future ahead of him in hockey. He will now head to Russia and likely play in the KHL. If he has success there he could find himself back in the NHL someday.
Source: House Of Hockey - Tampa Bay Lightning terminate young prospect Ilya Usau
| POLL | ||
MAI 25 | 66 ANSWERS Tampa Bay Lightning unexpectedly terminate young player Will Ilya Usau end up returning to the NHL in the future? | ||
| Yes | 21 | 31.8 % |
| No | 45 | 68.2 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
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YESTERDAY
JANUARY 7, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Macklin Celebrini | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Alexandre Texier | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Cole Caufield | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Louis Crevier | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kevin Fiala | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Oliver Moore | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Connor Murphy | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Landon Slaggert | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Sam Steel | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Turcotte | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Joel Edmundson | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Matthew Grzelcyk | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Clayton Keller | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Andre Burakovsky | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Daniil But | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Lawson Crouse | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Dickinson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| William Eklund | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Radek Faksa | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Joel Farabee | 1 | - | 1 | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Lightning | 42 | 26 | 13 | 3 | 55 | |
| Canadiens | 43 | 24 | 13 | 6 | 54 | |
| Red Wings | 44 | 25 | 15 | 4 | 54 | |
| Sabres | 41 | 22 | 15 | 4 | 48 | |
| Panthers | 42 | 22 | 17 | 3 | 47 | |
| Maple Leafs | 42 | 20 | 15 | 7 | 47 | |
| Bruins | 43 | 22 | 19 | 2 | 46 | |
| Senators | 42 | 20 | 17 | 5 | 45 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 43 | 26 | 14 | 3 | 55 | |
| Islanders | 43 | 24 | 15 | 4 | 52 | |
| Flyers | 41 | 22 | 12 | 7 | 51 | |
| Capitals | 44 | 22 | 16 | 6 | 50 | |
| Penguins | 41 | 20 | 12 | 9 | 49 | |
| Devils | 43 | 22 | 19 | 2 | 46 | |
| Rangers | 44 | 20 | 18 | 6 | 46 | |
| Blue Jackets | 42 | 18 | 17 | 7 | 43 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 42 | 31 | 4 | 7 | 69 | |
| Stars | 44 | 26 | 10 | 8 | 60 | |
| Wild | 44 | 25 | 11 | 8 | 58 | |
| Mammoth | 44 | 21 | 20 | 3 | 45 | |
| Blackhawks | 43 | 18 | 18 | 7 | 43 | |
| Predators | 42 | 19 | 19 | 4 | 42 | |
| Blues | 44 | 17 | 19 | 8 | 42 | |
| Jets | 41 | 15 | 21 | 5 | 35 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 41 | 18 | 11 | 12 | 48 | |
| Oilers | 43 | 21 | 16 | 6 | 48 | |
| Kraken | 41 | 20 | 14 | 7 | 47 | |
| Sharks | 43 | 22 | 18 | 3 | 47 | |
| Kings | 42 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 46 | |
| Ducks | 43 | 21 | 19 | 3 | 45 | |
| Flames | 43 | 18 | 21 | 4 | 40 | |
| Canucks | 42 | 16 | 21 | 5 | 37 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||