Florida Panthers Select D Aaron Ekblad First Overall

After many months of trade speculation regarding the Florida Panthers 1^st overall pick, Dale Tallon and the Florida Panthers decided to stay pat, and select defenseman Aaron Ekblad from the Barrie Colts of the OHL.

Although the Panthers have a ton of young defensemen in their system such as Ian McCoshen, Mike Matheson, Erik Gudbranson, Dmitry Kulikov, and Mackenzie Weegar, Ekblad brings a whole new element to their blue-line. With a right-handed shot, a physical presence, and well-rounded defensive game, Ekblad looks to backstop the Panthers defense for years to come.

The question of him being NHL ready or not will be up to Tallon and Panthers faithful to decide after training camp, but Ekblad is no stranger to being the little fish in a big pond. Granted “exceptional player status” in 2011, Ekblad became the very first defenseman to receive this honor, which allowed him to enter the OHL draft at just 15 years old, where he was always much younger than his competitors.

Ekblad is another piece to the puzzle as the Panthers look to build a playoff contender in the near future.

You can watch Aaron Ekblad and the rest of the Panthers prospects at the Panthers annual Development Camp, which begins July 7^th at the Panthers Ice Den in Coral Spring FL.

 

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