The NHL held its rookie showcase this past weekend in Nashville, and as the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Florida Panthers were under a microscope. While the Cats ended the weekend with a 1-2-0 record, it was clear there was some solid potential.
“Success is great, but you learn from those mistakes,” Panthers rookie attendee Mikulas Hovorka, a 23-year-old defender from Prague, said in a press conference after the action. “It was good for everybody to come here, make some mistakes [and] learn how they play in Florida.”
The Cats lost some core players this summer — 30-year-old defenseman Brandon Montour left for Seattle and 32-year-old right winger Vladimir Tarasenko headed to Detroit.
Geordie Kinnear, the head coach of Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte, hopes a few standout Panther draftees will add some firepower to his already strong team.
“Paying a price and keep the puck out, that is one of those ways you can win a lot of hockey games,” Kinnear says.
Here are five of the best new Panthers hopefuls:
Hunter St. Martin – LW
One of the biggest stars to shine during this showcase was Hunter St. Martin, a 19-year-old left-wing from Edmonton. He scored three goals this weekend, one in each game. His distinctive backcheck sprints, off-puck net drives and lightning-fast closeouts to the point give him an advantage every time.
“You have to be able to make plays,” said Kinnear. “I thought he had, for two games. He’s been a real positive and you can see the growth.”
Ben Steeves – LW
Left-winger Ben Steeves, 22, is from New Hampshire. He demonstrated his Panther Pride this weekend by scoring a goal against Nashville. However, Steeves has played 72 games for Minnesota-Duluth from 2022-23 to 2023-24, accumulating 62 points (45–17–62).
Among NCAA freshmen in 2022–23, Steeves finished second in scoring which earned him a spot on the NCHC All-Rookie Team.
Three others who made a splash are defender Mike Benning, goalie Cooper Black and right wing Riley Hughes.
Benning, the 22-year-old Edmonton defenseman, scored a goal and provided solid work on both sides of the ice. The son of former Panthers player Brian Benning, he demonstrated excellent technique. He began his professional career in 2018 with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, getting 61 points in his rookie season with the team. Two years later, in 2020, the Panthers drafted him in the fourth round. Benning could make some noise if he were to get the call to join the big leagues.
Michigan goalie Cooper Black, 23, is 6 feet 8 inches tall, a stature that is unheard of for goalies in hockey. However, he helped the Cats win their game against Nashville by stopping 29 of 31 shots. In 2023-24, Black played 30 games for Dartmouth College (ECAC), finishing 13-8-8 with a .910 save percentage, 2.58 goals against average and two shutouts.
“He made some big, grade-A saves, and he’s 6 feet 11 inches on skates, so it’s hard to get by him,” says Benning. “He did a great job.”
Hughes, the 24-year-old right winger from Massachusetts, is the brother of New Jersey Devils left-wing Jack Hughes, an NHL star. The younger brother scored a goal against Carolina on Saturday.
“It felt good,” he said. “All I had to do was put it in an empty net, so there wasn’t much to it, but it definitely felt good.”
Training camp for the Florida Panthers will begin on Thursday, September 19. On September 22, Amerant Bank Arena will host a pair of preseason games against the Nashville Predators at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. EST.
