There's been a lot of buzz around the Panthers, and the combination of opening up a new practice facility and winning the Stanley Cup adds to a commitment to excellence

There was a whole bunch of excitement when the Florida Panthers opened up Baptist Health IcePlex in Downtown Fort Lauderdale in December of 2023. It created an even bigger buzz around South Florida for a franchise that had been knocking on the door for the last three seasons.

With the practice rink being a golf cart trip away for most of the players, it sure cut down the time logged over an 82-game season of traveling to-and-from work. It also creates a great place to be off the ice as the beach is a short walk away from the rink.

Although the new sheets of ice, and bigger facility to do rehab work and to lift weights is a bonus, it did not distract the players from obtaining the ultimate goal of winning the Stanley Cup.

With the team winning at the highest of levels, the energy and the growth of hockey in South Florida has gone at a faster rate.

This week though, the Panthers took the ice…in a development camp setting. A set of days on the NHL calendar where front offices truly look to find their diamonds in the rough.

Just two weeks after winning the Cup, the topic is still fresh. Whether or not the players were drafted before the Panthers won the Cup, there’s a level of excitement, along with urgency for the players who want to be a part of a winning culture.

Whether they’re going back to junior hockey, NCAA, or Florida’s American Hockey League affiliate in Charlotte, they’ll remember the experience of what NHL life is like, even if it’s just four days.

For the players who were drafted before the organization won the Cup, there’s a sense of pride knowing that it’s the one they were drafted to.

“It’s an honor,” said defenseman Marek Alscher. “I was just super proud of the guys…it's just so nice to see those guys, they deserve it. You know how hard they worked the year before and how close they got. I was just super, super happy for them.”

Alscher is one of almost two handfuls of players who got to experience Cats D-Camp at the former location – the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs – before enjoying the new digs in east Broward County.

Sandis Vilmanis, who was back in Latvia, had a hard time trying to watch the Stanley Cup Final due to the time difference between his home and South Florida.

Goaltender Olof Gifford went through the same thing while being back in his home of Sweden, and Jakub Kos in Czechia.

There is another buzz of getting drafted after the franchise won it all, and immediately walking into the same exact facility that the NHL team gets to experience. That is the case of 2024 second round pick Linus Eriksson, fourth rounder Simon Zether and sixth rounder Hunter St. Martin.

“I bleed the Florida Panthers now,” St. Martin said when asked about being born in Edmonton but then being drafted by Florida.

In their first development camp as Florida Panther prospects, they were also able to experience a fishing trip and a pickleball tournament.

One person who no doubt feels the buzz around the Stanley Cup win and the opening of the new facility, and that’s Charlotte Checkers Head Coach Geordie Kinnear.

While players have come and gone, Kinnear has remained one of the biggest constants when it comes to developing the franchise’s NHL hopefuls.

“I’m going to tell you there’s more juice for me,” Kinnear said. “You look at what the group has done the organization, Paul [Maurice], the team, I think it's inspiring, motivating. So I can tell you, I related that to the group. It only makes the process that much more important.”

Kinnear is not the only longtime member of the organization who knows how valuable an experience like this weekend in a new home can bring.

Director of Player Personnel and former Panthers captain Bryan McCabe has seen the good times and the bad, from when he was a player to when he hung up the skates and went to the Panthers front office shortly after retiring.

Thirty years of building a franchise and winning has brought ultimate stability.

“It's a different feel when you're bringing guys in and you just finished winning the Stanley Cup two weeks ago,” McCabe said after the scrimmage. “It’s a proud moment, for sure, to be a part of it and let these guys experience it. I think there's a different glow around here for some of these kids. It's certainly a spot people want to come, with the new facility and with the track record we've had over the last couple of years. It's awesome.”

Hockey in South Florida is already on the map, but knowing that in order to keep their window open, development at the farm level has an even bigger emphasis now. There is a reward for making it to the NHL level with the Panthers, and up and down the organization, a standard of excellence – a culture- has been set.

Obviously, it’s not just about making it to the NHL. That, in fact, is the easy part.

Staying and maintaining a spot is the bigger challenge.

However, an experience for four days with some team bonding activities off the ice is a great starting point.

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