Time can be a crazy thing. A mere few weeks ago we were starved for any kind of hockey news.
The long summer days dragged on…then, seemingly out of nowhere, time accelerated. Suddenly development camp was upon us, and the rookie tournament right behind that. While it’s great seeing the kittens, we were all waiting for the big cats to take over.
And so we waited some more, but not too long…
Thankfully time kept its foot on the gas and as soon as the rooks wrapped things up, the big club (with some young guns earning a look) hit the ice.
It didn’t take long for Panthers’ social media outlets to jam their feeds with pictures/videos, highlights, line combinations, player/coaches quotes, and insider info into all things pertaining to the team being back in action - it was a (fun) task just keeping up with all the news.
And just as quickly as training camp came, it went - pushing preseason to the forefront.
That’s right…in a matter of hours the Florida Panthers kick off 2021-22 preseason action with a double-header against the Nashville Predators!
It sounds like the winners from today’s scrimmage (Team Blue) will be leading the charge and playing the first game:
Just look at the talent on these two rosters. Simply awesome. It also sounds like Mamin has had a heck of a camp so far with Q saying he has really stood out.
Here’s some lines and combos I find interesting from the two squads.
Red
Hutsko – Schwindt - Bowlby
Carlsson - Juulsen
Blue
Vatrano – Acciari – Hornqvist
Mamin – Dalpe - Heponiemi
Nachbaur – Sourdif – Noel
Kiersted – Connauton
Gildon – Priskie
Notice the absence of Lundell, Thornton and Ludvig from the lineups as they still deal with injuries - with Ludvig’s appearing to be the most severe.
Good news was that Jameson Olive reported that Thornton did return to practice today.
Big time bummer on the Lundell and Ludvig injuries though. Was hoping these guys would be patched up so we could see them in some preseason action.
Other News
Some of the bigger news out of camp was the signing of forward Justin Sourdif, selected in the third round (87th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
From the Panthers’ site:
“
Coming into his first development camp with a head full of steam, Sourdif stood out as one of the most dynamic players on the ice during the recent rookie tournament in Wesley Chapel, which featured some of the prospects from the Panthers, Hurricanes, Predators and Lightning.
Appearing in two of three games at the tournament, he posted a pair of assists and was singled out as one of the best players on the team by his linemate, Serron Noel, who complimented his high-end skill and vision by saying that it was simply "amazing to play with him" on every shift.”
Sourdif will head back to Vancouver for the 2021-22 WHL season.
The other big - yet quite - story from camp has been Bob. Everyone is wondering which Bob will be making an appearance this season?
From the
Cats’ site:
“
Between the pipes, Bobrovsky enjoyed his first taste of real action during the scrimmage.
"It's nice to see the shots and see the intensity," the two-time Vezina Trophy winner said.
With one scrimmage in the books and many more practices and exhibitions to come, Bobrovsky said he's focusing on fine-tuning all of the various "little details" of his routine in the days and weeks leading up to the regular-season opener against the Penguins in Sunrise on Oct. 14.
Ever the perfectionist, those adjustments and tweaks never truly come to an end.
"The process is continuing all the time," Bobrovsky said. "I'm never going to say, 'OK, I'm here and that's that.' It's a little up, a little down. It's two steps up. It always goes back and forth. You go, you practice, and you feel what you need to do extra or if you need some lighter stuff."
In 31 appearances in 2020-21, Bobrovsky, who is entering his third season in South Florida, posted a 19-8-2 record with a .906 save percentage. Looking ahead to the upcoming campaign, he's eager to get back to work, build off that performance and get back into a regular rhythm.
"I like to see the shots, to be in the game and don't think about anything," he said. "You just do you. You've got your net, you play there, you go into the game, and you have the trust on you."
Already laser focused on the task at hand, Bobrovsky's work is only just getting started.”
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Get your TV s and tablets ready to take in both football and hockey tomorrow and don’t forget the cold ones…Go Panthers!
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