Gildon impresses at scrimmage

Prospect’s skating skills especially noticeable

CORALSPRINGS— TheNHL is not inMax Gildon’s immediate future. But that doesn’t stop the Florida Panthers from dreaming about the defenseman prospect’s upside.

Gildon, a fourth-round pick in last year’s draft, showcased his skillset that includes strong skating and offensive savvy for the Blue Team during the Panthers’ development camp scrimmage, becoming arguably the most noticeable player on the ice Friday morning.

“I thought he was really good today,” said Panthers AHL affiliate Springfield coach Geordie Kinnear, who ran the camp. “Amazing skater. I know that we’re all excited about him. I thought he was very, very good today.”

The 19-year-old just finished his freshman year at NewHampshire and is regarded as the Panthers’ top defenseman prospect, excluding players likeMacKenzie Weegar and Ian McCoshen who are already on theNHLclub.

On multiple occasions, Gildon used his agile skating to evade pressure in the neutral zone. Other times, he dove towards the net to create scoring opportunities. He had three shots around the crease area (in 4-on-4 and 3-on-3 play), but was stoned by Red Team goaltenders Ryan Bednard and Evan Cormier each time.

“I always tried to put an em-

phasis on my skating ability and using that tomy advantage,” Gildon said. “All throughoutmy career, I’ve beenworking on it.”

Gildon’s skating is more impressive given his already big size. He’s listed at 6-foot-3 and 191 pounds, but said he’s up to 205 pounds. Panthers director of player personnel Bryan McCabe marveled at Gildon’s tools.

“That’s pretty evident out there, right?” McCabe said. “For a big man, he can move pretty smoothly. There’s a lot of potential there. He’s already got the size. He’s only going to get bigger, stronger, faster by the time he’s ready to come out of school. Lots of tools towork with.

“Great kid, willing to listen, willing to learn. You really see his footwork on display when there’s less people on the ice and you get a chance to go with the puck. I thought he had a really good game today.”

At New Hampshire, Gildon helped quarterback the power play and 11 of his 23 points came with the man-advantage. He tied for second among Hockey East defensemen with eight goals.

“I think I can contribute sometimes on the offensive end, but I’m a defenseman first,” Gildon said. mdefranks@sun-sentinel .com, Twitter @MDeFranks