The Florida Panthers addressed their most glaring weakness with the No. 1 pick in Friday night’s 2014 NHL draft in Philadelphia.
They selected Barrie Colts defenseman Aaron Ekblad to join a blue line that lacks a young defenseman capable of developing into a franchise cornerstone. The 18-year-old from Belle River, Ontario is the first blueliner selected with the top pick since Erik Johnson went to the St. Louis Blues in 2006.
“The 18-year-old has tremendous size, uses his strength to his advantage and plays a physical game in all three zones. He blocks shots, plays against opposing teams’ top players and kills penalties. Ekblad also is well-positioned in his own zone, is able to skate his way out of trouble and makes a good first pass out of the defensive zone to start the break out.”
“From an offensive standpoint, his powerful shot from the point is a huge weapon on the power play, and his playmaking skills (specifically his passing) really improved over the last two years. His decision-making also is impressive, and he rarely makes mistakes.”
“In regard to a pro player comparison, Ekblad’s ceiling is Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber, but he also reminds me of Chicago Blackahawks veteran Brent Seabrook.”
In addition to his impressive on-ice skill set, Ekblad also displayed great leadership at the junior level as Barrie’s captain last season. He approaches the game like a 10-year veteran and possesses the work ethic required to become a great player.
One of the reasons why Ekblad was the top-ranked prospect in this draft class is because he’s ready to play at the NHL level next season. This made him a perfect fit for a Panthers team that wants to win and make the playoffs right away (evidenced by the Roberto Luongo trade in March).
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The Panthers have a deep and talented prospect pool that includes several players with high-end talent, including young forwards Jonathan Huberdeau (No. 3 overall, 2011 draft) and Aleksander Barkov (No. 2 overall, 2013 draft). They passed on defenseman Seth Jones with the No. 2 pick in the 2013 draft, and Erik Gudbranson (3rd overall in 2010 draft) hasn’t developed into a top-pairing D-man, which had led to a number of defensive issues over the last few years.
Florida ranked 29th in goals scored, 29th in goals against, 30th in power-play success and 30th in penalty killing last season. This is why one of the team’s goals in the offseason was to acquire a acquire a defenseman with an all-around skill set capable of excelling on special teams — Ekblad fits this description.
The future is bright for Florida, but it must develop these prospects patiently. Ekblad is lucky to join a blue line that includes a high-character guy like Ed Jovanovski and former Stanley Cup champion Brian Campbell. These veterans will help Ekblad adjust to the speed, physicality and mental grind of the pro game.