‘You see the confidence’: Panthers impressed by what rookie Samoskevich has offered so far
As the Panthers got toward the tail end of their schedule before the All-Star break, coach Paul Maurice knew he wanted to get a semi-extended look at what rookie Mackie Samoskevich had to offer. Florida’s top prospect had been performing fairly well with the Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate, and warranted another chance at the NHL level after breaking camp with the team.
The 21-year-old winger and 2021 first-round draft pick got that chance, playing in every game of Florida’s four-game winning streak last week. The Panthers loaned him back to Charlotte on Sunday so he could continue getting game reps with Florida off until Tuesday.
While Samoskevich didn’t produce a point during the streak, he showed off some of the intangibles the Panthers hope will benefit the team in the long run. In his
461⁄2 minutes on the ice over those four games, the Panthers produced 55.13 percent of shot attempts. He had six shots on goal as well as four hits and a blocked shot while playing a defensively sound game.
“You want a young guy to figure out what he can get away with and what he can’t,” Maurice said. “We want him to get away with as much as he can, but there are certain rules you have to adhere to. This stint here, he was very, very good. He was more dynamic, tried more stuff. You see the confidence in him starting to grow.”
Samoskevich built up that confidence during his time in the AHL. In 32 games for the Checkers, he has 11 goals and 15 assists.
“I got to play a lot of hockey,” Samoskevich said, “so I got to learn from mistakes and stuff like that. It’s all about confidence. I got to gain some down there and brought some back up here. It’s about working on yourself and looking at the big picture.”
Once he got back to the Panthers, Samoskevich played with an assortment of linemates during that stretch with Maurice shuffling players around as his lineup got healthier.
The original plan, Maurice said, was to see Samoskevich on the right wing with Anton Lundell at center and Eetu Luostarinen on the left wing.
Maurice got to see that combination for only about nine minutes Saturday in Florida’s 3-2 overtime win over the New York Islanders.
With Aleksander Barkov sidelined with an unspecified lower-body injury when Samoskevich was recalled, Maurice put him on Florida’s third line with Evan Rodrigues and Kevin Stenlund in his first game back Jan. 22 against the Nashville Predators.
Maurice kept together the line of Lundell, Luostarinen and Sam Reinhart.
When Barkov returned Jan. 24 against the Arizona Coyotes, Maurice opted to have Samoskevich play with Barkov and Rodrigues. That trio also played together in Florida’s shootout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday before Maurice flipped Samoskevich and Reinhart in the second period Saturday against the Islanders.
When Samoskevich will get his next crack at the NHL is unknown. It most likely depends on whether Nick Cousins or Will Lockwood — both of whom were in concussion protocol when the Panthers entered the All-Star break — is ready to return when the Panthers resume play on Tuesday against Philadelphia in Sunrise.
But one thing is certain: Samoskevich’s potential is being noticed.
“He’s gonna be a great player,” Rodrigues said. “I remember the first day of camp, 10 minutes into the first practice we had with him, I remember that he’s got a hell of a shot. He’s got speed. He’s got all the talent in the world to play in the NHL. ... He’s just going to continue to get better and better and continue to grow.”