Hatter Valk picks up win in NHL debut

Curtis Valk picked up a victory in his first career NHL game.

The 24-year-old Medicine Hat product was called up to the Florida Panthers Sunday night and made his official debut in Tuesday’s 4-3 shootout win over the Dallas Stars.

Valk spent 3:25 on the ice as the centre on Florida’s fourth line and finished the game with an even rating.

The 5-foot-9, 170-pound forward played 270 games with the Medicine Hat Tigers, scoring 125 goals and 130 assists in his Western Hockey League career and spending his final season as the captain of his hometown franchise.

Valk signed a one-year entry level contract with the Panthers over the summer and found his way onto the team after injuries to centres Jared McCann and Derek MacKenzie.

Valk started his season with the American Hockey League’s Springfield Thunderbirds, where he has tallied six goals and nine assists through 15 games.