Florida Panthers

Instant Takeaways: Who Stood Out at Florida Panthers D-Camp?

Published

10 months ago

July 14, 2023

The Florida Panthers wrapped up their five-day development camp with a scrimmage on Friday morning in Coral Springs. // Photo @ColbyDGuy

CORAL SPRINGS — The Florida Panthers wrapped up their five-day Development Camp with an intrasquad scrimmage on Friday morning.

Boston University forward Wilmer Skoog led Team Red to a 7-6 win, with Olof Glifford shutting down Team White in the first half of the game.

Over the course of the week, Florida prospects had the chance to showcase their skills in front of the team’s coaching staff and front office, taking away some lessons along the way.

Aside from hockey, they participated in team bonding activities like playing some dodgeball, learning how to make sushi and attending a Blink-182 concert in an effort to boost camaraderie among the group.

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“The camp is not all about the on-ice or the scrimmage,” said Bryan McCabe, the team’s director of player personnel and former captain.

“It’s a learning process for these kids and we are just trying to help them adapt to being a pro. …

“The most important thing this week was having the guys get to know each other and building those relationships that all good teams have because these are the guys that are going to help us down the road.”

Both on the ice and off the ice, numerous players stepped up and showed they can be leaders and produce at the professional level.

Here are a few standouts from development camp:

Mackie Samoskevich made big strides in both his skating and his forechecking abilities. During the scrimmage, he made forechecking look easy, bursting in with speed and beating his man while protecting the puck. He scored a really nice goal with a toe-drag release as well. He looks like a player who can compete for a spot on the big roster come September.
Wilmer Skoog exuded confidence throughout the scrimmage, starting off the scoring with a one-timer. He came back on his next shift hungry for more, pulling a Michigan attempt off before being met with a solid save by Tyler Muzelik. The 6-foot-2 center out of Boston University is an aggressive forechecker who found success at the college level last year, hitting the 30-point mark in each of his past two seasons, and has the chance to continue it with the Charlotte Checkers next season.
Kai Schwindt showcased a solid two-way ability throughout the camp, using his large 6-foot-4, 194-pound frame to win battles on both ends of the ice. Coupling his tenacious tendencies with a slick wrist shot release which shined during the scrimmage could help the 19-year-old develop into a capable professional in the future.
Sandis Vilmanis excelled at creating space in front of the net and generating scoring chances both during the prospect scrimmage and during drills. The 2021 fifth-round pick made the jump from the Swedish junior league to North American ice last season and scored 45 points in 62 games. The adjustments he has made to adjust to the more compact game has shown throughout the week.
Jack Devine looked much improved from last year’s camp, growing into a speedy forward with a quick release. He is not afraid to get into the dirty areas and win puck battles, either.
Kasper Puutio played a solid two-way game from the back end, winning a lot of his puck battles and sparking up offensive plays with his passing. He has shown to be a quality puck carrier who can move it up the ice with speed. Ludvig Jansson provided a similar presence after having a solid World Junior campaign with Sweden last year.