The Cats hit the ground running with a high-octane schedule, transitioning from medical testing and media sessions to four preseason matchups in just seven days.
Buckle up, hockey fans.
Things are about to kick into high gear around the Florida Panthers, and the fun all starts on Wednesday.
That’s when the Panthers will hold their annual media day at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale, with players doing interviews and filming different scenes and promos throughout the building.
Florida General Manager Bill Zito is expected to address the media, along with several Panthers players.
They will also take part in introductory meetings and medical testing, all in anticipation of hitting the ice for their first official training camp practice.
This year, the Panthers are brining a roster of 51 players to Training Camp, and the full roster can be found by clicking here.
The roster consists of 30 forwards, 16 defensemen and five goaltenders.
Of those players, the only surprise, and only player not under contract, is veteran forward Nathan Bastian, who will be on a Professional Tryout Agreement (PTO).
That will come the following morning, on Thursday, as Florida will look to hit the ground running for their less-than-two-week camp.
Training Camp practices on Friday and Saturday will be open to the public and free to attend, with sessions taking place at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on both days.
Saturday will also be when the Panthers host their annual Training Camp Fan Fest at the IcePlex, which will begin at 10 a.m.
More information about Fan Fest can be found by clicking here.
The Cats will only have a few days of work both on the off the ice before they start a quick-hitting preseason in which they play four games in seven days in three different cities.
Florida will start the preseason fun on Sunday night at Amerant Bank Arena when they host the Carolina Hurricanes at 7 p.m.
Nine days later, and three days after their final preseason game, Florida will again face the Hurricanes, but this time it’ll be in Raleigh for the first official game of the NHL season, a night where Carolina will raise their second Stanley Cup banner to the rafters at Lenovo Center.
So yeah, while it may have been pretty quiet around these parts for an extended offseason, get ready for Panthers hockey to start coming fast and furious.
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Photo caption: Feb 27, 2026; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers left wing MatthewTkachuk(19)celebrates after scoring against the Buffalo Sabres during the second period at Amerant Bank Arena. (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
