Mackie Samoskevich, Gracyn Sawchyn and Zachary Uens spoke after Monday's 3-2 victory
Mackie Samoskevich, Gracyn Sawchyn and Zachary Uens spoke after Monday's 3-2 victory
The Florida Panthers prospects wrapped up their long weekend at the 2023 Southeast Rookie Showcase on Monday with a matinee matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Florida came away with a 3-2 win, closing out the showcase with consecutive victories over Tampa and the Nashville Predators after dropping their opener to the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday.
Overall it was a positive experience for the young Cats, who now will shift their focus to the 2023-24 hockey season.
For some of them, that means heading back to their junior teams and working toward turning pro, while others will be trying to open eyes and turn heads at the Panthers main training camp that kicks off on Thursday at the Ice Den in Coral Springs.
Following Monday's win over the Lightning, a few Panthers prospects spoke about their time at the showcase and what they got out of it.
Mackie Samoskevich:
It was good. I loved every second of it. I know most of the guys so I was pretty comfortable the whole way through. You've got a great group in there, great people and great coaches, so it makes it easy for me.
Gracyn Sawchun:
It was a pretty different experience, playing with older guys, but it was good…definitely a lot faster, they're bigger and stronger, it's a little bit of an adjustment, especially for me being one of the smaller guys.
Zachary Uens:
This helps getting ready for main camps and all that stuff, getting ready to go. It's cool to get a win today, too. You feel like you're back playing hockey instead of just being in summer mode, so it's good to compete and it's cool to be back."
