Kiersted was wearing Panthers jersey from very beginning

Matt Kiersted signing with the Florida Panthers was two decades in the making.

The defenseman out of the University of North Dakota officially became a

but shared a photo that showed the team captivated him long before signing a deal.
The photo shows the 23-year-old as a toddler wearing a white Panthers jersey.

"That picture, my mom actually kind of dug that up from when I was little. That's a Mark Parrish jersey," Kiersted said.
Parish played 12 seasons in the NHL for the Panthers, New York Islanders, Minnesota Wild, Los Angeles Kings, Dallas Stars, Tampa Bay Lightning and Buffalo Sabres. He started his career with the Panthers, scoring 24 goals in 1998-99 and then 26 during the 1999-00 season.
"I was wearing just because (Parrish is) a Minnesota guy and my dad was buddies with him and he's the one that kind of talked my parents into letting my older brother play hockey," Kiersted said. "It was pretty funny when I saw that. I don't think I've ever seen that picture before. Kind of ironic for sure."
He'll be putting on a sweater with a very different Panthers logo soon, except of course when the team decides to go with its
adidas Reverse Retro jersey
.
- NHL.com Independent Correspondent Alain Poupart contributed to this report.