Overshadowed by impact forwards, which young defensemen are in Panthers’ system?
A quick look at the Florida Panthers prospects reveals one very apparent thing: their forward heavy.
From the expected firstround brilliance of Henrik Borgström and Owen Tippett to the potential breakthroughs from AHLers Dryden Hunt and Anthoyn Greco, the franchise’s depth up front dwarfs its impact from defensemen.
The team has used its first-round pick on a forward in each of the last three drafts, and four of the last five, limiting its accumulation of top-end talent on the blue line. This season, the Panthers even used the same seven defensemen all season in the NHL, leaving 24-year-old Josh Brown to toil with AHL affiliate Springfield.
The Panthers could capitalize on a defensemanheavy draft this season with their No. 15 pick, potentially selecting Bode Wilde, one of eight defensemen in McKeen’s Hockey’s top 17 overall draft prospects. Or they could simply supplement the talent they already have in the organizational depth chart.
Here’s a look at three defensemen currently in the Panthers pipeline:
Max Gildon, thirdround pick in 2017 (Last year: New Hampshire, NCAA)
Gildon played his freshman season at New Hampshire, excelling as the Wildcats’ quarterback on the power play. Of his eight goals last season, five came on the power play. Of his 15 assists, six were on the power play.
Gildon — listed at 6 foot 3 and 191 pounds — opened his collegiate career with six goals in six games, including a hat trick against Colorado College on Oct. 20.
“He got a great opportunity to play every night, a lot of freshmen don’t get that opportunity,” Panthers director of player personnel Bryan McCabe said. “He logged a lot of significant minutes there and he’s got a bright future for sure. He’ll [go] back to New Hampshire this year, fine tune his game away from the puck. He’s a very smart, good player offensively.”
Gildon profiles more as an offensive defensemen, a left-handed shot that can become a power-play specialist. He tied for sixth among all Hockey East defensemen with 23 points and tied for the conference lead for points among freshman defensemen. While many top college players don’t complete all four years of eligibility with the NCAA, McCabe did not want to place a timeline on Gildon’s progress.
“His play will dictate when we feel he’s ready to make the next step,” McCabe said. “He is a big body. He’s got a pro body already, which is a bonus for him. We’re not waiting for him to mature into his body. He’s a big boy already. We’ll be watching him closely this season for sure.”
Riley Stillman, fourthround pick in 2016 (Last year: Oshawa and Hamilton, OHL)
Stillman, the son of former Panthers forward Cory Stillman, will turn professional next season after spending parts of the last four seasons in the Ontario Hockey League. Last season, following a mid-season trade from Oshawa to Hamilton, Stillman won an OHL title and advanced to the Memorial Cup.
McCabe said the trade did wonders for Stillman, who went from being used in all situations with Oshawa to more of a shutdown role with Hamilton. The Panthers believe Stillman’s future lies in becoming a defensive defenseman.
“He went to a team where he was put in a role that we see him at the next level, which is more of a shutdown, hard-to-play-against guy who will give you some secondary offense,” McCabe said. “He absolutely thrived in Hamilton. His game took off. He played against all the best players in the league, matched up against all the best lines and really made it hard for them to produce.
Florida signed Stillman to a three-year, entry-level contract in March. He figures to play in Springfield in the fall, barring a preseason camp surprise from the 20-year- old left-handed shot. listed foot 1 190 pounds.
“He can play some secondary power play for you, but if he’s going to make it at the pro level, it’s going to be as a second-pair, play against the other team’s top line, make life miserable for them,” McCabe said. “Going to Hamilton, he got put in that role because they had offensive defensemen already. It was really an opportunity for him to dig his heels in and accept a role. He really embraced it and thrived there.” Stillman is at 6 and
Ben Finkelstein, seventh-round pick in 2016 (Last year: St. Lawrence, NCAA and Waterloo, USHL)
Finkelstein is an undersized (5 foot 9) and unheralded player because of his selection in the seventh round of the draft two seasons ago. But he had perhaps the most interesting year, transferring from St. Lawrence midyear and finishing the season with Waterloo in the USHL.
Against younger competition (the average age in the USHL is roughly 18 years old), the 20-year-old Finkelstein thrived, racking up 34 points in just 23 games. He ranked seventh among USHL defensemen in scoring, despite playing in less than half of a possible 60 games.
“He absolutely lit it up in the USHL, by a numbers standpoint,” McCabe said. “I guess what you would kind of expect with a guy leaving college and going down to play against younger competition. In that aspect, it’s a good thing, it’s a positive, was able to go down there and dominate.”
Finkelstein will play for Boston College next year, hoping to follow in the footsteps of current Panthers defensemen Mike Matheson and Ian McCoshen.
“He’s going to a great environment, really high-profile program where he’s going to hopefully go in there and probably run their power play right out of the gate,” McCabe said. “He’s a very gifted offensive defenseman who can put up a lot of points for sure.”
mdefranks@ sunsentinel.com or Twitter @MDeFranks