TAMPA BAY - The Tampa Bay Lightning have assigned defenseman Slater Koekkoek to the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League for a conditioning assignment, vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced today.

Koekkoek, 24, has played in nine games with the Lightning this season, posting one goal and four penalty minutes. During the 2017-18 regular season, he played in 35 games with Tampa Bay, posting four goals and eight points to go along with 18 penalty minutes. He set career highs for games played, goals, points, penalty minutes and plus/minus (+4). The 6-foot-2, 193-pound defenseman has appeared in 85 career NHL games, all with the Bolts over the past five seasons, posting five goals and 14 points to go along with 34 penalty minutes.

The Winchester, Ontario native has also skated in 180 career American Hockey League games, recording 12 goals and 54 points to go along with 84 penalty minutes. Koekkoek played in 22 games during the 2017 Calder Cup Playoffs, recording a goal and seven points, and helped the Crunch reach the Calder Cup Final.

Koekkoek was originally drafted by the Lightning in the first-round, 10th overall, at the 2012 NHL Draft.