NOTEBOOK: Lundell 'Doesn't Miss a Beat' in Return to Practice

In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, Anton Lundell looks no worse for wear in his return to practice, the Panthers are preparing for three games against the Lightning, and much more!
CORAL SPRINGS, Fla. -Anton Lundell likely had to pinch himself a few times this morning.
Making his debut at training camp after sitting out the last two weeks with an undisclosed injury, Lundell, who the Panthers selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, left a strong impression on teammates and coaches while looking no worse for wear in his return to the ice.

"It's a bit weird to skate with the big guys when you've watched them on TV," Lundell smiled.
Ready for his own close-up, Lundell is preparing to embark on his first season playing in North America after starring overseas in his native Finland. Suiting up for HIFK in Liiga, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound center tallied a whopping 25 points (16 goals, nine assists) in 26 games in 2020-21.
Making headlines on the international stage, he also successfully captained Finland to a bronze medal at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship and then, while going toe-to-toe with grown men and professionals, he helped his club capture silver at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.
Keeping a close eye on Lundell during practice, Joel Quenneville liked what he saw.
"Nice to see him look like he could do everything out there," the Panthers head coach said "I don't think there's any limitations. I think he's eager to get involved with the group here, and then we'll see how he handles the game. I was pleased with what we saw on the ice today with him. As far as his instincts and his pace, he looks like he's been a part of this group for a while."
Skating alongside a walking, talking piece of hockey history, Lundell spent most of practice on a line with future Hall of Famer Joe Thornton, who also returned to action after missing some time with an injury. While rehabbing together over the past few weeks, Thornton said he got to know the young Finn quite well and was impressed by the maturity of both his talent and personality.
"He's a really, really good all-around player," Thornton said.
Asked if he'd shared any wisdom during their workouts, Thornton, who has more than 1,600 games in the NHL under his belt, said he told Lundell that consistency is key to a long career.
"It's a long season," Thornton said. "We've talked about that amongst each other. Just stay healthy, get your sleep, eat right, just little things like that. I think he'll have a long career."
Throughout the season, Lundell hopes to learn a little bit from Thornton each day.
"He does everything really professionally," Lundell said of Thornton, who began his NHL career before Lundell was born. "You can see why he's played this long. He's an unbelievable, hard-working guy. Every day, he's laughing at the rink. He likes to play. It's good to be around him."
In addition to running through various drills, Lundell saw time on the penalty kill when the Cats turned their attention to working on special teams this morning. Given his acumen in the faceoff circle and solid two-way play, Quenneville said he could see Lundell being effective in that role.
Agreeing with that assessment, grizzled defenseman Radko Gudas, who projects to be a staple on the penalty kill, said he had to remind himself a few times just how young Lundell actually is.
"He doesn't look like he's 20 on the ice," Gudas said. "He looks like that [off the ice], but not on it. There's maturity in his play. He's in the right spots. Even today on the PK, he was always in the right spots and the right areas. That's always good to see from a young player like that."
With his career is only just getting started, Lundell felt like this morning was a good first step.
"It's never fun to [watch] games from the stands," Lundell said. "My goal was just to come back stronger. That's what I've been working on. I've been working hard a few weeks now. I feel great. I just need to get a few practices in, and I think I'm ready. It feels pretty good now."

TIME FOR TAMPA BAY

The Panthers have only three games remaining on their preseason schedule.
Going a perfect 4-0-0 thus far, their final exhibition games will all come against the Lightning.
After meeting for a neutral-site game at Amway Center in Orlando on Tuesday (a game that will be broadcast on Bally Sports Florida), the two cross-state rivals will then battle at Amalie Arena in Tampa on Thursday before closing out their series on Saturday at FLA Live Arena in Sunrise.
Although they won the regular-season series, the Panthers went on to lose a hard-fought, six-game series to the eventual back-to-back champion Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
"I thought we did a real good job against them in the regular season and in the playoffs," Quenneville said. "I thought we played pretty well. Knowing that you learn from the best, hopefully we'll apply it properly."
While the in-state rivalry is budding, Florida isn't the only team looking to take down Tampa Bay.
"They've got maybe 30 other teams in the league targeting them," Quenneville said. "It's one of those things that when you're the best, everybody's kind of got them on your calendar and looking for that matchup, for sure."
While only limited information is currently available for Tuesday's lineup, Quenneville did announce that two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky, who turned aside 11 of 12 shots in his preseason debut on Friday against the Stars, will be starting between the pipes.
"We know they're the defending back-to-back champs, the best team in the league," Gudas said of the Lightning. "We can use it for ourselves as a measuring stick. We want to perform at our highest level and make sure we're ready for the season over these next three games."
As far potential returns for injured players, Lundell and Thornton are on track to play in Thursday's game, while Carter Verhaeghe and Gustav Forsling could return to the lineup on Saturday. Maxim Mamin also participated in this morning's practice, but left the session early.
For more information, stay tuned to @JamesonCoop and @FlaPanthers on Twitter.

BIRTHDAY WITH BARKOV

Even though he's still young, Lundell has officially shed his teenager label.
On Sunday, he celebrated his 20th birthday by grabbing a bite to eat with Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. When talking about his big day -- which he admits was a "pretty easy" afternoon overall -- he also revealed that he's currently living with Barkov in Boca Raton.
Not a bad way to settle into South Florida, right?
"I don't think you can hate this place," Lundell laughed. "It's pretty awesome. I've never been in a place like this. It's really fun to live here and start to build something bigger with the team."

MONDAY'S LINES

Forwards
Anthony Duclair - Aleksander Barkov - Sam Reinhart
Jonathan Huberdeau - Sam Bennett - Owen Tippett
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Patric Hornqvist
Mason Marchment - Noel Acciari - Ryan Lomberg
Joe Thornton - Anton Lundell - Maxim Mamin
Juho Lammikko
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Markus Nutivaara - Brandon Montour
Kevin Connauton - Radko Gudas
Matt Kiersted - Chase Priskie
Goaltenders
Sergei Bobrovsky
Spencer Knight
Christopher Gibson