I guess we'll have to call them the "Syracuse Checkers" this season.
With the Charlotte Checkers opting out of the 2020-21 campaign, the Tampa Bay Lightning have offered the use of their AHL affiliate in Syracuse to the Florida Panthers in order to give many of the organization's top prospects a chance to play and continue developing their skills.
AHL Primer: 11 Panthers Prospects Set to Begin Season in Syracuse
"With safety at the forefront, this arrangement also allows our players to continue their development uninterrupted," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. "The fact that our two competing franchises have decided to work together for the collective good is evidence of the underlying goodwill that truly exists in our sport and is a testimony to the character of Julien BriseBois and his staff. This type of cooperation is exciting for the future of hockey in Florida."
As the Crunch prepare to kick off their 32-game season on Saturday night against the rival Utica Comets, the Panthers currently have 11 of their prospects stationed in Syracuse, a talented and diverse collection of players that includes five forwards, five defensemen and one goaltender.
To stay on top of these prospects and any other important news that might come out of the AHL throughout the entire season, check out FloridaPanthers.com for regular updates and also make sure to follow Syracuse on both Twitter (
) and Instagram (
@syracusecrunch
).
With the puck set to drop, here's a peek at the Panthers prospects with the Crunch right now…
FORWARDS
Grigori Denisenko
Expectations are high for Denisenko as he prepares for his first season in North America.
Taken by the Panthers with the 15th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, he spent the previous three seasons brushing up on his skills in the KHL. Playing a limited role against grown men - it's rare for young players to get big minutes in Russia's top league -- he certainly held his own.
In 38 games with Yaroslavl Lokomotiv in 2019-20, the 20-year-old forward reached new career-highs in goals (6), assists (6) and points (12). On the international stage, he's shined within his own age group, registering seven goals and 11 assists over two trips to the U20 World Juniors.
Serron Noel
The first thing that jumps out about Noel is his imposing size.
At 6-foot-5 and 216 pounds, he has all the tools to become a very effective power forward as he prepares to embark on his first season in the AHL. Prior to turning pro, the 20-year-old produced 47 points (18 goals, 29 assists) in 48 games with Oshawa and Kitchener in the OHL in 2019-20.
A second-round pick (34th overall) by the Panthers in the 2018 NHL Draft, Noel wrapped up his junior career with 202 points (88 goals, 114 assists) over 241 regular-season games in the OHL.
Henry Bowlby
Bowlby is still a name that Panthers fans are only just beginning to learn.
An undrafted free agent out of college, the 23-year-old forward put pen to paper on a two-year, entry-level contract with Florida on Aug. 5, 2020. Prior to that, he caught the attention of scouts while recording 45 points (21 goals, 24 assists) in 84 games over his three seasons at Harvard.
In 2019-20, Bowlby finished as the Crimson's top scholar-athlete and received the ECAC Hockey Commissioner's Award as he not only racked up 16 points (eight goals, eight assists) in 31 games, but also earned the highest GPA for the academic year on the team.
Aleksi Heponiemi
Heponiemi is heading to the AHL after a promising showing with the Panthers.
A second-round pick (40th overall) in the 2017 NHL Draft, the 22-year-old had one heck of an NHL debut, scoring the game-winning goal for the Panthers in a 3-2 overtime win over Detroit on Jan. 30 - just the fourth player in history to score an overtime goal during their NHL debut.
Sent to the AHL on Friday, Heponiemi already has quite a bit of hockey under his belt this year. Before his three-game stint with Florida, he kicked off his 2020-21 campaign by appearing in 16 games with Modo Hockey of Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan, tallying six goals and eight assists.
Making his professional debut in 2018-19, Heponiemi was runner-up for rookie of the year in Liiga after racking up 46 points (16 goals, 30 assists) in 50 games with Karpat. The following season, he kicked off his career in the AHL, notching 14 points in 49 games with Springfield.
Cole Schwindt
Schwindt is in a unique situation.
At just 19 years old, he normally wouldn't be eligible to play in the AHL this season, but with the OHL schedule up in the air due to COVID-19, he's getting a shot to shine earlier than expected.
Scooped up by the Panthers in the third round (81st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft, Schwindt is fresh off a breakout 2019-20 campaign in which he led Mississauga with a career-high 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) in 57 games - a big jump from the 49 points he posted just a year before.
In December 2019, he was named the OHL's "Player of the Month" after leading the league with 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 12 games. Finding success in consistency, he managed to make a dent in the scoresheet in 11 of those 12 contests, including scoring a pair of hat tricks.
DEFENSEMEN
Brady Keeper
A physical presence on the blue line, Keeper is entering his second season in the AHL.
Appearing in one NHL game during the 2018-19 campaign after inking a two-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers as a free agent, the 24-year-old defenseman spent all of 2019-20 in the AHL, recording six goals, 12 assists and 108 penalty minutes in 61 games with Springfield.
Prior to going pro, Keeper, the first member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation to play in the NHL, spent two seasons at the University of Maine, posting 13 goals and 31 assists in 77 games. In his final season, he paced all Black Bears defensemen in goals (7), assists (15) and points (22).
John Ludvig
Ludvig is taking his game to the pros after lighting up the WHL last season.
After racking up just 25 points over his previous two seasons combined, the 20-year-old broke out in a big way during the 2019-20 campaign, finishing third among WHL defenseman with a career-high 62 points (17 goals, 45 assists) over 60 games during his final tour with Portland.
Known for being a physical presence on the ice, Ludvig's offensive surge can be credited to his newfound knack for running the show on the power play. Quarterbacking the Winterhawks' top unit, he notched 27 points with the extra attacker on the ice, including a whopping eight goals.
Blessed with a good hockey pedigree, Ludvig's father, Jan, played in the NHL from 1982-89.
Riley Stillman
Of all the prospects the Panthers have in the AHL, Stillman has the most NHL experience.
Sent to the AHL on Jan. 23, the 22-year-old defenseman suited up in one game so far for the Panthers this season. Before that, he appeared in 34 games with Florida in 2019-20, recording five assists, 59 hits and 59 blocked shots while averaging a solid 19:07 of ice time per contest.
Taking the ice in three of four games against the New York Islanders in the 2020 Stanley Cup Qualifiers, he recorded six hits and two blocked shots while averaging 17:19 of ice time per tilt.
A fourth-round pick (114th overall) by the Panthers in the 2016 NHL Draft, Stillman, the son of former Panthers forward Cory Stillman, has appeared in 89 AHL games since turning pro in 2018. In those game, he recorded 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) and 72 penalty minutes.
Max Gildon
Gildon is another blueliner looking to make his mark as a rookie in the AHL this season.
Taken by the Panthers in the third round (66th overall) of the 2017 NHL Draft, the 21-year-old defenseman lit up the scoresheet during his three seasons at the University of New Hampshire, including ranking 11th in the nation among rearguards with a career-high 29 points in 2019-20.
An effective player when the puck is on his stick, Gildon accumulated 73 points (21 goals, 52 assists) over 101 career games with the Wildcats. Showing off his scoring touch as the point man on the team's top power-play unit, 13 of those 21 goals came while on the man advantage.
In all three seasons he spent at New Hampshire, he led the school's blueliners in scoring.
Chase Priskie
Priskie is looking to build off a strong debut season in the AHL in 2019-20.
After opting to sign with Carolina as a free agent following a stellar four seasons at Quinnipiac University, the 24-year-old defenseman produced 31 points (six goals, 25 assists) in 52 games with Charlotte before being traded to the Panthers at the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 24, 2020.
Making a splash just after arriving, he went on to post four points (two goals, two assists) in five games with Florida's AHL affiliate before the season ended abruptly due to COVID-19. Born and raised in South Florida, Priskie is a homegrown talent that grew up playing for the Jr. Panthers.
In four seasons at Quinnipiac, he recorded 116 points (39 goals, 77 assists in 154 games.
GOALTENDERS
Sam Montembeault
A former AHL All-Star, Montembeault could see a lot of time between the pipes in Syracuse.
Entering his fourth season in the pros after being taken by the Panthers in the third round (77th overall) of the 2015 NHL Draft, the 24-year-old netminder spent quite a bit of time as a backup in Sunrise, but also owned a 5-5-1 record with a .918 save percentage in the AHL in 2019-20.
Armed with experience, he's appeared in 25 NHL games over the past two seasons, owning a 9-8-3 record with a 3.20 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. In three seasons in the AHL, he's gone 31-44-12 behind a 3.21 goals-against average and .901 save percentage.
During his AHL All-Star campaign in 2018-19, he made 40-plus saves in seven different games.
\Photo courtesy of Syracuse Crunch*