How's everyone doing out there? I hope you're well and staying safe.
The Cats stay active with signings and welcome forward Cole Scwindt with a three-year, entry-level contract.
From the Panthers website:
" "Cole is a talented and responsible two-way player who had an excellent season playing a key role with Mississauga," said Tallon. "He possesses great versatility, size and character and we are excited about his continued development with the Panthers."
Schwindt, 18, appeared in 57 games with Mississauga (OHL) in 2019-20, recording a team-leading 71 points (28-43-71).
He was named the OHL's "Player of the Month" for December after leading the league with 21 points (12-9-21) over 12 games. The 6-foot-2, 182-pound native of Kitchener, Ontario, has produced 138 points (55-83-138) over 191 regular season games with the Steelheads (2017-18 to 2019-20).
He was originally selected by Florida in the third round (81st overall) of the 2019 NHL Draft."
Hey, Rats, you're pretty good with the prospect breakdowns - what else can you provide about this guy? Seems to put up some good numbers. Wouldn't mind seeing him beef up a bit. 6'2" is some good height, adding a little muscle to bulk up from 182 lbs would probably benefit him as he takes the next steps.
Speaking of taking the next step(s)...
Last night I was thinking about who I think has improved the most since last season. Which guy has really taken the ball (puck) and run (skated) with it?
To me, it's MacKenzie Weegar.
You could make the case simply by the increase in numbers:
2018-19: 64 Games Played
Goals: 4
Assists: 11
Points: 15
Plus/Minus: -3
2019-20: 45 Games Played
Goals: 7
Assists: 11
Points: 18
Plus/Minus: 6
In 19 less games, Weegar managed to produce more from an offensive standpoint and while missing time with injury, too. The interesting thing is that if you go back and look at previous seasons, he has done the same year-to-year.
But I've always believed that numbers aren't everything. They're great and have their place, but there's more to a player's value than just what goes on a scoresheet.
#52 is a great example of this.
When Q took over, one of the big questions was who would really benefit and thrive under his guidance and system. I actually thought we would see a pretty stark difference in Ekblad and a couple other players...but it's been Weegar who has seemed to buy in and benefit the from the new look.
Confidence is key in life and especially in your job. When you're confident, or work with a confident person, everything goes much smoother. There's a feeling like you can do anything. You believe in yourself and what you're doing.
We're seeing this in Weegar.
I've been impressed with how he carries himself in both the defensive and offensive zones. He's more poised defensively than he has been in past seasons. In turn, he's managed to become better offensively. I believe the offensive uptick comes from two things:
1. Playing better defensively (more overall confidence)
2. Becoming a smarter player
There's no doubt about it that whatever system Boughner was running, wasn't working. Guys were all over the place, out of position, missed assignments, etc., etc...Everyone on the blueline fell victim to trying to do too much. It was maddening watching defensemen rushing/trying to join the rush, pinching in and getting way too deep too often in the offensive zone and scrambling to get back and cover.
Those things still happen, but I believe they were starting to get a ironed out a bit those last few games before the season was put on hold - it only took a major chunk of this year to get that ball rolling.
Weegar on the other hand has been playing much smarter hockey throughout the season. I think he's easily the best defenseman this year. He learned to pick his spots really well and I was impressed by that. It's not easy knowing when to take off and when not to. Sometimes you see that open ice and want to bolt. I think being able to refrain when appropriate demonstrates serious smarts. I think Q has helped him understand his ability (what he can/can't/shouldn't do) and his role. Roles may have been neglected in past years - just guessing based on some of the games this year where it appeared guys really knew where they should be and what they should be doing.
There have been a number of times I've seen him choose to make the smart play (pass, dump in, clear, etc.), rather than try and bring the puck up or go through guys - which he's tried to do in the past a lot.
It also feels like his tenacity and physicality has picked up, too. Great to see and another sign of the benefits from confidence.
I just hope the season will resume so we can see him continue to develop becuase I think he's emerging as a real leader!
Making Coco:The Grant Fuhr Story
Last week I spoke about the Bob Probert documentary that Amazon Prime currently has on their streaming service.
They added another hockey doc with Making Coco: The Grant Fuhr Story, which I excitedly threw on last night and watched.
I loved it.
It focuses heavily on Grant's career and touches on some of the things outside of it and their impact on him as a professional hockey player.
I knew he was one of the best goalies to ever do it, but I really had no clue as to his focus and compete level. Truly awesome and amazing how he carried teams he was on.
There's lots of hockey greats that speak in it and it moves really well.
I found it interesting how there was a little bit of a parallel to the Panthers in a sense of how EDM stacked those Oilers teams with little to no defense. In fact, one of the guys said the only time Fuhr saw his defensemen was in the locker room - HA!
Edmonton of the 1980's operated with the run-and-gun mentality and relied entirely on offense. Sure, they may give up five goals, but they'll score eight. I believe Florida tried to go a similar route this year.
Think about it...they added upfront hoping the offense would be swarming, did next to nothing on the blue line and signed Bob with the idea he would make up for a shaky defense every night.
I really appreciated all the little things I learned about him, too. The fact that he played with right-handed equipment for the first 8-9 years because lefty stuff wasn't available blew my mind. I suggest checking it out. There are a couple stats in there that I don't want to say here (if you don't know them) and spoil it. But some of the stuff he achieved in his later years is incredible; true competitor and warrior mentality.
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Stay safe out there and keep those hockey fires burning!
Florida Panthers Blogger • 
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