FORT LAUDERDALE – The feel of hockey is in the air.
Following a practice at Baptist Health IcePlex on Thursday, Florida Panthers prospects hit the road to compete in the NHL Rookie Showcase at Ford Ice Center Bellevue in Nashville from Sept. 13-16.
Getting a chance to play against some of the league’s other top prospects, they’ll face rookies from the Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning throughout the tournament.
“It's so important for these young guys to get these games against people that are the same age, same situation,” said Charlotte Checkers head coach Geordie Kinnear, who will be behind the bench for the Panthers prospects. “It’s that competitive environment. There's no better competitive environment than that because you're playing against guys that are in the same situation.”
The Panthers will travel to the Music City with 18 forwards, seven defensemen and four goaltenders.
Each will look to fine-tune their game ahead of the 2024-25 season.
“You look forward to this all summer,” said forward prospect Josh Davies, who is coming off a 61-point season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and will be turning pro this season. “Coming to these tournaments, you get all the competitiveness, and the atmosphere is just a totally different than the regular season. You're going against the top players in the world with all the top prospects for the NHL. It's a pretty cool experience to be out there and to know you're good enough to play against those guys, it's a full circle moment.”
For some, this experience will be their first opportunity to play with the Panthers shield on their sweater and travel as a team.
“It’s super exciting,” said Hunter St. Martin, a sixth-round pick (193rd overall) in Florida’s most-recent draft. “I’ve never had this experience; I've always been on the bus. We're taking a plane, chartering up to Nashville, and never been to Nashville either. I'm really excited to get to meet all the guys and learn off them and have a lot of fun.”
An all-encompassing tournament, prospects will be able to showcase and develop their skills on the ice and also have team bonding experiences away from the rink.
With the regular season just around the corner, it should be a jump start in momentum leading into another strong year of growth for the franchise’s burgeoning group of prospects.
Of course, there will also be plenty of fun.
“Going out there, having fun, it's an opportunity for you to showcase your skills and showcase how you can play against the top players in the world,” said Davies. “To do that with these guys here, it's a pretty cool moment.”
SCHEDULE
- Game 1 - Friday, Sept. 13: Nashville vs. Florida, 3 p.m. ET
- Game 2 - Saturday, Sept. 14: Carolina vs. Florida, 3 p.m. ET
- Game 3 - Monday, Sept. 16: Florida vs. Tampa Bay, 11 a.m. ET
HOW TO WATCH
Fans came stream all three Panthers games on FloridaPanthers.com.
Stay tuned for more information.
HOW IT WORKS
Any player on an entry-level contract (or less), provided they are 24 or younger and have less than 20 games of NHL experience, are eligible to participate in the NHL Rookie Showcase.
Teams will dress 18 skaters and two goaltenders per game.
Each game will feature three 20-minute periods with time stoppages.
A game ending in a tie will be followed by a five-minute, 3-on-3 overtime period.
A shootout with five shooters per team will follow each game regardless of final score.
Following each game, a recap and video will be posted to FloridaPanthers.com.
