Cats & Coffee: Panthers Add Hornqvist; Barkov's Golf Tournament

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment, presented by Koffee Kult, in which we serve up an exciting look at what's on deck for your Florida Panthers. Like our friends at Koffee Kult, this forecast serves up only the best -- so sit back, sip and enjoy our latest brew of news, notes and information.
The Florida Panthers have made their first big roster-related splash of the offseason.
Described as "a proven winner and champion" by general manager Bill Zito, the Panthers made headlines last week when they acquired two-time Stanley Cup champion Patric Hornqvist from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for a pair of players, Mike Matheson and Colton Sceviour.

Over his six seasons in Pittsburgh, Hornqvist, who's known for his hard-nosed play and knack for scoring goals around the net, registered 264 points (132 goals, 132 assists) in 407 games.
"When I talked to Zito**.

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

South Florida native Juan Otero has a dream.
Recently named to the NHL's Youth Hockey Inclusion Committee, Otero hopes to use the league's latest pro-diversity initiative as a mean to grow the game and provide inspiration for young Latin, Hispanic and minority youths searching for opportunities to learn and play hockey.
"I can't tell you how excited I am," Otero said. "The NHL has worked really hard in creating initiatives to grow the game of hockey and to change the stigma that it's just a white person's sport. I have a lot of ideas and this will be a great place to voice them and get feedback on them."
As part of the NHL's "Hispanic Heritage Month" in September, Otero helped launched the Amerigol LATAM Cup in 2018. Held at the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs, this international tournament highlights hockey talent throughout Latin America and consisted of more than 400 participants across 21 teams in 2019.
"Where (the LATAM Cup) is at now, I'm completely blown away, but I'm not surprised," said Otero. "I'm not a cocky person, but I kind of knew this had the potential to grow because of what I saw (in Colombia). Their (inline) rink is like a family hub. They have over 640 players registered for inline hockey. From the U-8s all the way to adults."
To read more about Otero's vision and the annual LATAM Cup, click HERE.

DRAFT CENTRAL

It's that time again!
With the 2020 NHL Draft coming up on Oct. 6-7, the Panthers' annual "Draft Central" page is officially up and running and starting to fill up with content. Both in the time leading up to and during the draft, this page will serve as a one-stop shop for fans throughout the entire event.
So far, fans can find several new items on the page, including "My Draft Day" articles on two current Panther employees - Randy Moller and Shawn Thornton. Additionally, there are also a pair of "Draft Check-In" articles, which provide updates on Florida's most-recent draft classes.
Here's a quick excerpt from Moller's "My Draft Day" article:
Cemented in my mind I remember looking up at the 23 Stanley Cup banners. I remember the freshly painted wooden seats. Seats that were filled nightly with thousands of rabid Canadiens fans over the last 30-plus years. They watched some of the game's greatest like Jean Beliveau, Guy Lafleur, and Maurice "Rocket" Richard. I thought back to cold winter Saturday nights, my eyes glued to Hockey Night in Canada on our family's black and white TV screen and dreaming not only of visiting the iconic shrine, but skating in the world's greatest hockey league.
Moving forward, more content will start to appear on this page, especially when Round 1 of the draft kicks off on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET. The Panthers will enter the draft with seven total selections -- including the 12th overall pick -- so there will be no shortage of things to talk about.
To check out the "Draft Central" page and pin it to your task bar, click HERE.

GOLFING FOR A GOOD CAUSE

Aleksander Barkov is doing a lot of good back home this offseason.
Teaming up with longtime friend and Winnipeg Jets forward Patrik Laine, the Panthers captain co-hosted a charity golf tournament at Nokia River in Pirkanmaa, Finland this past weekend in support of the Association for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities in his hometown of Tampere.
Highlighted by a live auction that featured everything from signed gear to a future round of golf with either Barkov or Laine, the tournament, which is in its second year, raised nearly €70,000.
Good work, Sasha!

MYSTERY PUCKS

Who can resist the allure of the mystery puck?
In an effort to raise some offseason funds for the Florida Panthers Foundation, limited-edition "One Territory" mystery-signed pucks are currently available for purchase HERE. Autographs you could pull include Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad and Brian Boyle, just to name a few.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

"I'm excited to go down there, get to know everyone and get the season started." Patric Hornqvist couldn't hide his elation during his first media availability as a Panther.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

With the 2020 NHL Draft on the horizon, ESPN's Chris Peters joined last week's episode of the Territory Talk podcast to discuss this year's class, how the coronavirus pandemic has affected organization's preparation, which players could fall to the Panthers at No. 12 and much more!
Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast
·

COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

--
The Panthers have made some changes to their Hockey Operations staff.
--
JetBlue 2019-20 Season Rewind: Chris Driedger
--
The Panthers have joined the "Rally the Vote" voter registration coalition.
--
JetBlue 2019-20 Season Rewind: Sergei Bobrovsky
--
Check in with Florida's 2018 NHL Draft class!
--
JetBlue 2019-20 Season Rewind: Aaron Ekblad
--
Shawn Thornton recounts the 1997 NHL Draft in "My Draft Day"
--
Need some new gear? Check out Pantherland's virtual catalog. 
--
The Panthers are now on Twitch!