Prospects from the Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning will be participating
The Florida Panthers top young prospects are set to take the ice on Friday as the 2023 Southeast Hockey Showcase kicks off at Hertz Arena in Estero, home of the ECHL’s Florida Everblades.
Florida is bringing a roster of 25 players to southwest Florida.
Along with the Panthers, teams participating in the showcase will be the Tampa Bay Lightning, Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators.
Each team will play the three others over the course of four days, starting on Friday when Nashville faces Tampa Bay at 4 p.m. following by the Panthers and Hurricanes playing at 7 p.m.
On Saturday, Carolina plays Tampa Bay at 3 p.m. and then the Panthers and Predators skate in the nightcap at 6 p.m.
Sunday is a practice day with no games, but then on Monday the showcase wraps up with Nashville and Carolina in the 10 a.m. brunch battle. Cross-state rivals Florida and Tampa Bay close out the shindig with a 1 p.m. matinee.
To help get you ready for the hockey weekend extravaganza, THN Florida is collaborating with the team sites for Nashville, Tampa and Carolina to bring you three players to watch from each squad.
Here are the three Panthers prospects THN Florida believes you should be keeping an eye on.
Mackie Samoskevich – Samoskevich probably carries more hype into training camp than any Panthers prospect in recent memory. The 2021 first-round pick signed his ELC earlier this year after two standout years at the University of Michigan and spent the end of last season with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers, where he logged six assists in nine games.
During Florida's development camp over the summer, Samoskevich stood out for all the right reasons. He was the best player on the ice throughout the week and will be looking to make a similar splash during his first pro camp later this month. First, he'll have the rookie showcase to put his skills on display and turn a few heads ahead of camp with the big boys.
Mike Benning – Florida's fourth-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft grew into one of the top defensemen in NCAA during his three seasons with the University of Denver.
During his 101 games with the Pioneers, Benning racked up 31 goals and 83 points while holding an on-ice rating of plus-55. He was with the Panthers last season as a Black Ace during Florida's run to the Stanley Cup Final. He's likely to start his first pro season in the AHL, but he'll be one to keep an eye on after looking so good at the college level.
Ryan McAllister – He signed his three-year ELC with Florida late last season after a standout year with Western Michigan University in which he racked up 13 goals and 49 points in 39 games with the Broncos.
He's not the biggest guy at 5-foot-10, 183 lbs. but features an accurate wrist shot and a deceptively quick release. He got his feet wet with in the pro ranks last season, signing a PTO with the Charlotte Checkers and playing seven games, including three in the playoffs. In those seven games McAllister accumulated two goals and seven points.
