What Makes Barkov Tick? Teammates, Coaches & More Weigh In

Aleksander Barkov's teammates and coaches aren't just his co-workers.
They're also his biggest fans.
During the press conference announcing Barkov's eight-year extension last month, Panthers General Manager Bill Zito said as much while talking about the team's superstar center, whose long-term commitment to the franchise is still being widely celebrated throughout South Florida.

"I think you're going to find out in short order as you talk to his teammates," Zito said. "You'll see it resonate both in the words they use and the tone in the matter in which they use them how appreciated he is as a teammate and as a leader and as an example with his attention to detail."
On the surface, it's easy to see why anyone would like to play with Barkov.
In addition to being the NHL's reigning Selke Trophy winner, he also currently ranks 11th in the league in scoring with 308 points (116 goals, 192 assists) since the start of the 2017-18 season.
And by lighting the lamp in New Jersey on Tuesday, he broke a tie with former Panthers captain Olli Jokinen for the most goals in franchise history with the 189th score of his career.

"I know so many great players have played for this organization, and Olli Jokinen played for a long time, played unbelievable hockey here," Barkov said after netting his record-setting goal against the Devils. "To be in the same category as him, it was never even a dream, and now it's a reality. I'm happy about it, but at the same just need to keep going and keep getting better."
But it's not just numbers that make him special, it's the countless hours of work behind them.
Taking advice from Zito, we here at FloridaPanthers.com decided to reach out to some of Barkov's teammates and coaches to find out exactly what makes him tick behind the scenes.
With answers edited for brevity and clarity, here's what those who know him best had to say.
Carter Verhaeghe (teammate since 2020-21): "Barky's just the best. I've only played with him for a year, but he's a great teammate and great leader. He's a great guy to be around. He keeps me cool on the bench. I'm usually snapping on the bench and getting mad if something goes wrong. But when I get hard on myself, he tells me, 'Calm down. It's OK.' That's his personality. He's just always calm and nothing ever bothers him. He's awesome to be around and a great leader for all of us. To see him sign here for another eight years is great."

Joe Thornton (teammate since 2021-22):"I didn't realize how big he was before I got here. He's a big unit. He's so big, so strong. He's an elite skater. His size took me off-guard when I got here. I thought I was a big guy, but he's a big guy too. There's a handful of guys that can do it all, and he's one of them. He shows up every night, plays against the top lines every night, and plays at both ends of the rink. He's a big guy and a big talent. He's a loveable guy. He's always smiling and a very positive guy."
Patric Hornqvist (teammate since 2020-21):"I always thought he was one of the most underrated guys in the league. When I came here and saw him, practiced with him and skated with him, I was really impressed. He's always doing the right things. I've got to say he's probably the best centerman out there on both sides of the puck. He's always doing the right things for his teammates, always available. He's really impressed me and he's just going to keep getting better. It's a great signing by the organization. It's good for him and good for the team. He's going to be here for the next eight years. He's the biggest building block you can have. There are only a few guys out there that can do what he does. You think about him, [Sidney] Crosby, [Patrice] Bergeron and a few others, but it's those three that stick out for me. They play the right way without the puck and with the puck. They can score and set up plays. They can kill penalties. They can do it all."
Jonathan Huberdeau (teammate since 2013-14): "There's so much you can say about Barky. He's an unbelievable person, and obviously an unbelievable player as well. I've been fortunate to play with him for a lot of years. We kind of came into the league together. It's been nice. Playing with him on the same line for a lot of years, I learned so much from him with his work ethic and the way he plays. It was always easy to play with him. We'd find each other on the ice. The way he gets ready for a game, for a practice, the way he works his incredible. He always wants to be better. That's why he's a leader and our captain. Whenever I think that he's finally at his best, I'll come in at the start of a new season and he's somehow even better. Not a lot of guys can do what he does. For me, he's one of the best players in the NHL. No question about that. His defensive play is especially impressive. He can play so many minutes in all situations. It's so impressive. He wants to play here his whole career. With him signing for eight more years, no one deserves it more than him. When your captain signs for eight more years, it's great for the organization. We're all really happy for him. He's going to lead this team to a Stanley Cup someday. With how hard he works, you just want to follow him. He's sneaky funny, too. He catches you off-guard and gets you when you don't expect it. He's a great guy. It's always nice to be around him."

Aaron Ekblad (teammate since 2014-15): "Whether it's on-ice or off-ice, he's one of the hardest workers in the entire NHL. He's a great teammate. He's always smiling and always having fun. He's always analyzing the game. He's never just trying make himself better, he's trying to make everyone better. He's an all-around player. He reminds me a lot of the guys that I'd grow up watching. I like to use Niklas Lidstrom as an example -- a perfect human, right? That's Barky. We've been growing up together and trying to reach new heights each and every year. Barky is obviously climbing to the top of that ladder, which is really fun to see. It's encouraging to the rest of us. It's inspiring. We admire him every single day. When you watch him do something crazy on the ice, there's really only one reaction, and it's to go nuts. It's impressive what he does. When he does something you've never seen before, there's no other reaction than that. It's incredible. He's been here one year short of a decade, and it's unbelievable as a fan of this team to know that you have him here for eight more after that. It's something to look forward to for the organization. With a guy like that, you know his game will continue growing. He works so, so hard because he knows no other way."
Anton Lundell (teammate since 2021-22):"It's been great to get to know him. He's a great leader and one of the best players in the league. You can see it every day. Everything he does, he makes it look easy. It's kind of funny to be around him. He's been here for nine seasons, so I was 12 years old when he started to play in the NHL. When I was growing up, us young guys would always talk about his nice goals and stuff like that all the time. It's nice to be here with him now. He's helped me a lot already. He's showed me around Florida. It seems like he knows every place here, every area. You can see how much he loves to be here. He loves this city and everything around here."
Anthony Duclair (teammate since 2020-21): "Just playing against him for a lot of years, I saw what a great player he was. He's a superstar in this league. I think the past couple years he's taken his game to another level, especially with him winning the Selke Trophy last season. It was really well-deserved for him to get that award and his new contract as well. We're all really happy for him. The biggest thing about Barky is just his work ethic, what he brings to the table every single day. He's always a positive guy, always smiling. When I played with him last season, he just made everything so much easier out there on the ice. He does so much on the ice. He plays that 200-foot game. He's first on the forecheck and first on the backcheck. I was happy to play with him and build a little chemistry. It was a great time. Whether it's in a game or at practice, he's always making eye-opening plays. He puts in the work. He puts in the hours. He's always doing that little extra stuff. It's a pleasure to watch him play. When we heard he'd signed that extension, it was a great feeling. I gave him a big hug. We were all really happy for him. We know how much work he put in to get to the level he's at, so it's well-deserved. He's earned it, that's for sure.
MacKenzie Weegar (teammate since 2016-17):"He just loves the game of hockey. He has so much passion for the game. He's a great leader for us and deserves that new contract. He's a really special player. He means a lot to this organization and to myself. I remember he couldn't speak a lick of English when he first got here, but he would always make an effort to speak to you and make you feel comfortable. When I was in the minors, I'd watch him on TV and just think about what a special player he was. You knew back then. You knew he was going to be the face of the franchise. It's not surprising to see him grow into the player he's become. Seeing him sign here for eight more years is what everyone wanted, and definitely what I wanted. I think he sees a winning franchise here. Barky wouldn't stick around if he didn't think we could compete for the Stanley Cup and eventually win one here. He's a competitor, first and foremost. He's probably the one that wants to win the most on the team. We're all following him. Now that he's signed for another eight years, I'm sure everyone is going to want to stick around and play here for as long as we can."

Tuomo Ruutu (former international teammate, coached since 2021-22):"I don't think he's changed much -- in a good way -- since I first played with him when he was 18 years old. He wants to be better every single day. He's always been like that. He works on the stuff he wants to get better at all the time. That stands out about him. You see all of the talent he has, but he's also a leader. It doesn't matter if it's an optional skate or a game or an exhibition, he shows up ready to go. I don't think you can set a better example than that."
Radko Gudas (teammate since 2020-21): "Barky does everything right. It feels like he's never in the wrong spot. He's always in the right place. He knows where to be all the time. He's a strong guy and leads by example. It's really a treat to have him on the team. I didn't really like playing against him, so I'm happy to be on his squad. He carries himself in such a professional way. He's so young to have that kind of maturity in his game. It's fun to see him at this level at this age. It's amazing to have him on our team. Every day in practice, you see him out there and go 'Wow!' It's fun for us to watch. He's a quiet guy in the locker room, but he likes his humor. He'll say something to you with a straight face that you won't know at first is a joke, but then everyone goes wild when it hits us. I think he's great. He's himself around us. He's the best guy. Everybody was excited for him when he heard about the extension. He's the No. 1 player here. He shows that every day on the ice and off the ice. They're building this around him. He deserves all the praise he gets."
Bill Zito (Panthers General Manager since 2020): "As good as he is as a player, he's that good a person. He's a sincerely kind guy who really does lead by example and really does care about the team and care about other people. That combination of talent and character, it's unbeatable. It's something we can all look up to, and I think everyone in that room cherishes that. You tend to gravitate to that which you admire. As human beings, we aspire to be better, and he sets that example through his work ethic. After every game, he's always here. He's the last guy here working, trying to get better and trying to improve. I don't mean to canonize him, but he's a special person with a special soul for hockey. With his talent package, the best word is special. I know it's overused, but in this instance it's perfect."