Veteran Hornqvist making presence known at practice
Patric Hornqvist missed the Panthers’ first five practices, but says he won’t need much time to be ready to help lead a talented yet unproven roster.
As Riley Stillman sniped a puck past goaltender Philippe Desrosiers during the overtime portion of the Florida Panthers’ scrimmage on Tuesday, a voice could be heard bel
lowing across the ice.
“Yeah, Stiller! Save that stick!” Patric Hornqvist shouted to his teammate.
Hornqvist, 34, a twotime Stanley Cup winner acquired in September, has been on the ice with
his team for only four practices in training camp. He missed the first five after being deemed “unfit to play,” the NHL’s catchall term in the age of COVID-19 for players unavailable for practice or
games.
But he’s making his presence known early. In addition to his 238 career goals and 90 games’ worth of playoff experi
ence, Hornqvist provides a veteran vocal presence to a roster that underwent a ton of turnover.
“He means business when he’s on the ice,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. “You could sense that right from the get-go here. His attitude was nice to see.”
That persona, in addition to his ability to still compete at a high level after a dozen NHL seasons, was a big reason the Panthers made it a priority to acquire Hornqvist this offseason. He knows how to balance the intensity required on game day and being more easy-going off the ice.
“That’s my type of personality,” Hornqvist said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of room you put me in. I always want to be that kind of guy who talks and makes everyone feel secured and have fun but at the same time we’re here for one reason and that’s to win games. We have to when it’s compete time and then when when practice is over, then you can have fun and, you know, enjoy it.”
Simply being on the ice these past few days was a relief for Hornqvist. He doesn’t need much time to get ready for the season on a personal level.
But from a chemistry level? On a team that could have as many as 10 new faces, himself included, from last year’s playoff roster? That takes an adjustment period.
Training camp this year was already shortened to begin with, just two weeks. Missing five days didn’t help, either, although Hornqvist did benefit from small, informal practice sessions with teammates at the Panthers’ practice facility in Coral Springs before training camp officially began.
“Obviously it was not ideal [to miss the start of training camp] but I have tried to put that behind me, look forward and try to get better every time I come to the rink from now on,” Hornqvist said. I can’t take that time back, so I may as well focus on what is in front of us.”
Right now, what’s in front of him is a spot on the Panthers’ second forward line, playing on the right wing alongside AllStar left wing Jonathan Huberdeau and center
Alex Wennberg. The trio was active during the Panthers’ scrimmage Tuesday, regularly keeping the puck in the offensive zone and showing a knack for causing turnovers. The trio has a combined 1,118 career points among them (426 goals, 692 assists).
“I think they have good possession time,” Quenneville said. “... They all see plays and make plays and have patience with the puck and know how to score.”
Hornqvist’s impression of his two linemates?
“Both of them are very talented with the puck,” he said, “so I am going to try to create space for them, go to the net and get open. So far, so good.”