Confirmed with Link: 1st Overall - Aaron Ekblad (signed 9/3/14)

[Juggernaut27]

So that eliminates the whole send him down to juniors after 9 game thing, correct?
And assume is 2 way to AHL?

tx

Nope, still back to the OHL if he doesn't stick with the big club.

 

[SoupyFIN]

So that eliminates the whole send him down to juniors after 9 game thing, correct?
And assume is 2 way to AHL?

tx

Panthers can still send him back to juniors, even after that 9 games has passed. If he plays more than that, it just burns a year off his entry level contract, regardless of how many NHL games he ends up playing after that first 10.

And due to the NHL/CHL agreement, he can't be assigned to the AHL.

 

[MintyFresh88]

So that eliminates the whole send him down to juniors after 9 game thing, correct?
And assume is 2 way to AHL?

tx

Don't think he's eligible for AHL. If he doesn't make the Panthers, it's back to Barrie. The 9 game rule just refers to the benchmark on whether the first year of his ELC kicks in or not.

 

[Beezeral]

So that eliminates the whole send him down to juniors after 9 game thing, correct?
And assume is 2 way to AHL?

tx

I don't believe so. He is still too young for the AHL and can still be sent to Jr's at any time but if he plays more then 9 games in the NHL it burns a year off his ELC

 

[Beezer]

“It was a real tight window because the [Panthers] owner was really upset about the discussion about the negotiaton,†said Keenan. “But yes, Joe Thornton was offered by the Boston Bruins, and I took it to the owner and the owner said ‘No, we don’t wanna take that contract on either.â€

http://nesn.com/2012/04/bruins-once...-for-roberto-luongo-according-to-mike-keenan/[/QUOTE]

Sickening.[/QUOTE]

I would have taken Thornton or JVR for Jayblow in a heartbeat! Can't cry over spilled milk though, the past is the past. Time to think about the present because our team is really shaping up to finally turn that corner. Ekblad will stay with the big club all year and I just hope they keep him on that 3rd pairing at least til midseason so he can get confortable with the NHL faster play. Don't want to overplay him like we did with Jayblow. Want him to play with confidence and I think he will gain a lot of it on the 3rd pairing for half a season.


On a side note, are you going to join our hockey fantasy leagues again this year? I sent you invites to join. You only have until midnight tonight to sign up in League B or you forfeit your spot and would have to join League C if you want to play. Please sign up ASAP.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

Not surprising. In fact didn't they say they were going to sign him around training camp?

So not surprising, it's almost boring.

 

[Egblad]

Happy Ekblad is signed. I am ready for training camp. Please commence now!

 

[JP Mick]

Ekblad interview on Marek VS Wyshynski:

http://pmd.fan590.com/audio_on_demand-3/Aaron-Ekblad-with-Greg-Wyshynski-mvw-20140904-Interview.mp3

 

[Android 16]

Ekblad interview on Marek VS Wyshynski:

http://pmd.fan590.com/audio_on_demand-3/Aaron-Ekblad-with-Greg-Wyshynski-mvw-20140904-Interview.mp3

Molls was on yesterday too. Amazing how level-headed this kid appears to be.. I hope he's destined to be great.

 

[Dread Clawz]

Molls was on yesterday too. Amazing how level-headed this kid appears to be.. I hope he's destined to be great.

He's ridiculously mature. Together with his physical appearance he really is a an 18 year old going on 30. I think a lot of teams were hooked by that persona. We are lucky to have got him.

 

[spacemanatee]

can't wait to see him on the ice.

 

[Beezer]

can't wait to see him on the ice.

Same here! Hoping they play him on the 3rd pairing to give him a chance to develop this season and get use to the faster speed in the NHL before playing top 4 minutes. Hoping to see some flashes of what he will grow into for us this season!

 

[spacemanatee]

Same here! Hoping they play him on the 3rd pairing to give him a chance to develop this season and get use to the faster speed in the NHL before playing top 4 minutes. Hoping to see some flashes of what he will grow into for us this season!

indeed. i'm very curious how he'll do on the powerplay. acually, im very curious to see our powerplay overall. it has to improve. i mean its almost literally impossible for it to be any worse.
i didn't even see the pp as an opportunity for us to score last season but more as a chance for me to take a breather for two min, not necessarily being nervous that the other team would score.

 

[TTTT]

Aaron Ekblad

Hey guys. How has Ekblad looked so far?

How is he coping with NHL competition?

 

[IM Clutcm]

Hey guys. How has Ekblad looked so far?

How is he coping with NHL competition?

He's been phenomenal. Probably the best defenseman on this team. He's very calm with the puck and always makes the right pass. His positioning is great, and he always seems to make the play when it's needed. Plus, he always wants to shoot and actually gets it on net. That's something really lacking on this team. He's far exceeded my expectations so far this year, and I'm sure he's exceeded the expectations of others on these boards, too.

 

[Android 16]

Hey guys. How has Ekblad looked so far?

How is he coping with NHL competition?

Love the kid. Calm, cool, collected, professional. Rarely makes mistakes. Already contributing offensively. Assertive, bright and just fun to watch. The only positive in a dark hole that is the Florida Panthers right now. I'd say, keep these bums away from him so he doesn't develop any bad habits from guys like Campbell and Kulikov. Mitchell is the only decent role model for Ekblad.

 

[I am not exposed]

He's been phenomenal. Probably the best defenseman on this team. He's very calm with the puck and always makes the right pass. His positioning is great, and he always seems to make the play when it's needed. Plus, he always wants to shoot and actually gets it on net. That's something really lacking on this team. He's far exceeded my expectations so far this year, and I'm sure he's exceeded the expectations of others on these boards, too.

100% agreed. Way better than I was expecting from an 18 year old defenseman.

 

[IceManCat]

Hes the defensive version of Barkov

 

[IM Clutcm]

Hes the defensive version of Barkov

But Barkov sucks and is a bust.

 

[FrolikFan67]

it really is incredible how comfortable he looks for an 18yr old D. his skating, passing, puck handing and decision making, positioning, shot, he's looked fantastic. very surprised he's played this well this early on. his time on ice reflects his play:

first nhl game=19:05
home opener=22:48
3rd game=23:34

 

[MintyFresh88]

Has anyone noticed over the past 2-3 seasons, arguably our best player throughout each one has been a rookie? Something seriously wrong with this trend. Come April, I can see Ekblad being our MVP (outside of goaltending , of course).

 

[FlaPnthrsPunk]

I've been quite impressed with him so far. Sure, he's made a few rookie mistakes, but you would never know that the kid only has a few games in the NHL under his belt and is 18. I'll be surprised if they send him back to Juniors after nine games.

 

[EnforceTheLaus]

Ekblad getting a lot of love from Bobo today:

"Ekblad, of course, was the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft. The 18-year-old – he doesn't turn 19 until Feb. 7 – has only one assist in five games but what he's doing as a "pure" rookie blueliner is nothing short of extraordinary.
He's averaging 22:16 over five games and played 25:25 in his last outing, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals.
"The last game he played was the best game he's played," Florida coach Gerard Gallant said. "I keep forgetting he's an 18-year-old rookie."
The funny thing is Ekblad started slow. In the Panthers' rookie camp, he didn't look good in his first game, was just okay in his second but played well in his third. That was ROOKIE camp. In the Panthers' main camp, it was the same thing – struggled early, got better as it progressed.
But almost from the drop of the puck for the regular season, Ekblad has played with poise, maturity and confidence that belies his age and inexperience, playing alongside veteran defenceman Brian Campbell.
"I'm sure he will have some ups and downs, every young defenceman does," Gallant added, "but it's amazing how comfortable he is just playing his game. It's like he's still in junior. He's not worried. He just plays. He's not afraid to jump up (offensively) and he's defended quite well. He's not nervous or unsure of himself."
TSN analytics expert Travis Yost offered this assessment of Ekblad's numbers this season:
"Aaron Ekblad is still searching for the first five-on-five point of his career, but there are plenty of positives to take away from his first five games. Ekblad, playing almost exclusively with puck-possession wizard Brian Campbell, has enjoyed a 58.3 per cent Corsi% and +10.6 per cent RelativeCorsi%. While it's clear Florida isn't easing Ekblad into action (he's close to 16 minutes per night at even strength), it's worth noting he's being deployed in a more offence-oriented role – likely due to Campbell's puck-moving ability. The Ekblad-Campbell pairing is the only one on Florida starting more than 50 per cent of their shifts in the offensive zone. If this sort of deployment continues, expect Ekblad's point-scoring to wake up relatively quickly. Softer minutes and great underlying numbers generally lead to success – Ekblad's simply been victimized by terrible on-ice shooting percentages (4.4 per cent) in the early going. As we know, these numbers frequently regress to league averages."
For those who don't subscribe to #fancystats, Ekblad most certainly passes the eye test, too. To think he's been as cool, calm and composed as he has been, as an 18-year-old defenceman, is nothing short of extraordinary."

http://www.tsn.ca/mckenzie-rookie-race-heats-up-with-drouin-s-lightning-debut-1.111211

 

[IM Clutcm]

Ekblad getting a lot of love from Bobo today:

"Ekblad, of course, was the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL draft. The 18-year-old – he doesn't turn 19 until Feb. 7 – has only one assist in five games but what he's doing as a "pure" rookie blueliner is nothing short of extraordinary.
He's averaging 22:16 over five games and played 25:25 in his last outing, a 2-1 shootout loss to the Washington Capitals.
"The last game he played was the best game he's played," Florida coach Gerard Gallant said. "I keep forgetting he's an 18-year-old rookie."
The funny thing is Ekblad started slow. In the Panthers' rookie camp, he didn't look good in his first game, was just okay in his second but played well in his third. That was ROOKIE camp. In the Panthers' main camp, it was the same thing – struggled early, got better as it progressed.
But almost from the drop of the puck for the regular season, Ekblad has played with poise, maturity and confidence that belies his age and inexperience, playing alongside veteran defenceman Brian Campbell.
"I'm sure he will have some ups and downs, every young defenceman does," Gallant added, "but it's amazing how comfortable he is just playing his game. It's like he's still in junior. He's not worried. He just plays. He's not afraid to jump up (offensively) and he's defended quite well. He's not nervous or unsure of himself."
TSN analytics expert Travis Yost offered this assessment of Ekblad's numbers this season:
"Aaron Ekblad is still searching for the first five-on-five point of his career, but there are plenty of positives to take away from his first five games. Ekblad, playing almost exclusively with puck-possession wizard Brian Campbell, has enjoyed a 58.3 per cent Corsi% and +10.6 per cent RelativeCorsi%. While it's clear Florida isn't easing Ekblad into action (he's close to 16 minutes per night at even strength), it's worth noting he's being deployed in a more offence-oriented role – likely due to Campbell's puck-moving ability. The Ekblad-Campbell pairing is the only one on Florida starting more than 50 per cent of their shifts in the offensive zone. If this sort of deployment continues, expect Ekblad's point-scoring to wake up relatively quickly. Softer minutes and great underlying numbers generally lead to success – Ekblad's simply been victimized by terrible on-ice shooting percentages (4.4 per cent) in the early going. As we know, these numbers frequently regress to league averages."
For those who don't subscribe to #fancystats, Ekblad most certainly passes the eye test, too. To think he's been as cool, calm and composed as he has been, as an 18-year-old defenceman, is nothing short of extraordinary."

http://www.tsn.ca/mckenzie-rookie-race-heats-up-with-drouin-s-lightning-debut-1.111211

 

[spacemanatee]

he's a stud