Zito Expects Lundell to Bring 'Culture, Compete & Character' to Panthers

SUNRISE, Fla. - Hours before he was drafted, Anton Lundell was on the ice.
Already three games into his third season competing in Finland's top professional league, Liiga, the 19-year-old forward spent Tuesday afternoon suiting up for Helsinki IFK (HIFK) in a 3-1 win over the visiting Lahti Pelicans, a game in which he chipped in an assist over 18:36 of ice time.

"It was easy to play," Lundell said. "You just forget about everything else and just try to win for the team. Of course, it was really fun for my team to win today. It made the day even better."
Following the victory, and with the draft still quite a ways away, he decided to grab dinner with his family before settling in for a very long night with about 20 guests in a room at HIFK's arena, the Helsinki Ice Hall, which is located only about 20 minutes away from his hometown of Espoo.
Sporting a suit rather than pajamas as the clock started to approach 4 a.m. in Finland, Lundell said he was glued to the television when Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito leaned into the microphone at BB&T Center and finally uttered the words he'd been waiting so long to hear.
"The Panthers would like to select from IFK Helsinki, centerman Anton Lundell."
In that moment, he felt wide awake.
"It has been a long day for me," Lundell said excitedly. "A really fun day. I think I'll remember this day for a long time… I was really excited to be drafted by the Panthers. Of course, I know the Finnish players there and have been following them, so of course I'm really excited."
Taken with the 12th overall pick in the first round of the 2020 NHL Draft, Lundell's scouting report reads a lot like that of current Panthers captain and fellow Finn Aleksander Barkov. A two-way center, Zito praised Lundell's 200-foot game, high hockey IQ and strong work ethic.
When asked what he likes most about Lundell, Zito said it's "the completeness" of his game.
"He's somebody who competes in all areas of the game," said Zito, who was hired by Florida in September after spending seven seasons as an assistant general manager in Columbus. "One of the hallmarks of Anton is his compete. He enjoys hockey. He likes to play. He wants to win. Without putting too much pressure on him or trying to use too many superlatives, he's the type of player that we think we'd like to bring in to be a Florida Panther, somebody who does the little things and likes to play in all areas of the ice, who likes to play hockey and wants to win."
Like Barkov, Lundell has also climbed the ranks quickly in Finland. Always lining up against players that are older than him, he was playing with HIFK's U-16 squad at just 14. The next season, he was moved up to the U-18 team, and so on until he made his debut in Liiga at 17.
After posting 19 points (nine goals, 10 assists) in 38 games with HIFK in 2018-19, he improved on all of those numbers last season, finishing with 28 points (10 goals, 18 assists) in 44 games.
"It makes you a lot more confident," Zito said when asked about Lundell's early success playing against grown men. "Obviously when someone at that age is performing that well in that league, and I have a pretty solid familiarity with that league, it makes it a lot easier and gives you a lot more confidence in the player, and it also gives you a lot more context with which to evaluate."
Although he missed out on this year's IIHF Under-20 World Junior Championship due to an injury, Lundell has shined during international events in the past. As a 17-year-old at the 2019 World Juniors, he posted one goal and three assists in four contests to help Finland claim gold.
Prior to that, he also took home gold at the 2018 Under-18 World Juniors.
"I can create chances for myself and my linemates," Lundell, whose father, Jan, played for HIFK as a goaltender, said of his game. "At the same time, I think I can play a really good two-way game. I want to be a trusted player who the coach can trust on the ice in every situation."
Given the limitations presented by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Zoom interviews played a large role in the evaluation process leading up to the draft. And although Zito said that Lundell's very high maturity level could be felt through the screen, it was a ringing endorsement from the organization's director of European scouting, Jari Kekalainen, that sealed the deal in the end.
"He deserves the credit for really doing the work and going the extra mile and knowing Anton, I guess I should say arguing his case, standing up for him and saying this is the player we want," Zito said of Kekalainen, brother of Blue Jackets general manager Jarmo Kekalainen.
"This is the young man who possesses the culture, and the compete and the character. It's somebody that we want to plug into our model. He's the type of player that we want to have on the type of team that we want to create."
While the NHL and NHLPA announced prior to the draft that Jan. 1 is officially the new target date for the start of the 2020-21 season, Zito said the Panthers are in no rush to get Lundell on a plane to Florida, adding that the current plan is for him to finish the 2020-21 season with HIFK.
"Closer to the season, we'll evaluate and see where he is," Zito said. "It's important not to rush it and bring the young players when they're ready. He's [19 years old] playing in a men's league, I know. But you don't want to get too far ahead of yourself, so putting a timetable on him now is a little unfair to him. I don't want to do that. I want to let him play hockey, have fun and continue to develop. When he's ready he'll come."
As for the immediate future, Lundell likely won't get much sleep tonight.
But, for him, that's completely OK. Today was already a dream come true.
"To share this day with [my family and friends], it's a special day for everyone," Lundell said.