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Injured D Ranger Is Ahead Of Schedule

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 18, 2008

TAMPA - Paul Ranger struggled to find a description of how his surgically repaired shoulder feels when he fires a shot during drills.

"I can't give a percentage on it or anything or how it feels; I don't know, it's hard to explain," Ranger said. "I feel like I'm shooting as hard as I can ... but ...."

To help Ranger finish that thought, he is shooting as hard as he can shoot, but it's not as hard as he can shoot, when he is healthy.

While Ranger won't be taking part in game action in the near future - that includes the start of intrasquad scrimmages, which begin today - he certainly doesn't look like a player who is coming back from a major injury. Ranger had surgery in April to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

But judging from his early work in training camp, it's evident he put the work in during the summer despite recovering from the surgery.

"Paul Ranger looks great, he just looks great out there," Lightning coach Barry Melrose said. "I've been very impressed with him."

Ranger said he feels daily improvement in the shoulder and said that since he arrived in town in early August he has noticed the difference in his strength.

"From the first couple of weeks that I was here until now, it's night-and-day in terms of the building up the muscle mass," he said.

As far as the shape he is in now, he said that comes from the experience he gained in his first three seasons in the NHL.

"Well, I've learned that you need to be conditioned to play, and it's great when you are well-conditioned, because you need that to play at full speed all the time," Ranger said.

TARNASKY OUT: LW Nick Tarnasky suffered a fractured left thumb, the team said, and he will be out of action for two to three weeks.

Tarnasky, entering his third full season, had a puck hit the tip of his thumb during practice drills Tuesday that left his hand bloodied. He sat out Wednesday's session, and if he misses three weeks, Tarnasky would miss the Oct. 4-5 season-opening series against the New York Rangers in Prague, Czech Republic.

TYRELL IN TOW: Tampa Bay's top pick in the 2007 draft, second-round pick Dana Tyrell, will join Lightning training camp today after getting an invitation following his performance at the prospects tournament in Traverse City, Mich., which concluded Wednesday.

Tyrell, 19, had 25 goals and 65 points with Prince George of the Western Hockey League last season before appearing in 11 games with the team's minor-league affiliate on a tryout agreement. He finished with a goal and six points with Norfolk.

Also coming to Tampa from the rookie team are D Ty Wishart and RW Chris Lawrence, who were originally scheduled to participate in training camp.

The Lightning's entry in the Traverse City tournament finished 0-4 after a 6-5 overtime loss to Columbus on Wednesday.

NUTS AND BOLTS: Melrose said he took 2005 first-round pick, 6-foot-7 Vladimir Mihalik, aside following practice and told him he can win a spot on the NHL roster, "if he's willing to compete, because he has all the physical tools."

Erik Erlendsson

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