Panthers hold rookie camp, head to Nashville for prospect tournament
Florida will begin the 2024 NHL Rookie Tournament on Friday against the Nashville Predators
The Florida Panthers kicked off rookie camp on Thursday in Fort Lauderdale.
It’s the first step in the start of a new hockey season, and ends an extremely short offseason for the Panthers.
Thursday’s practice at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale was the only time Florida’s youngsters will be skating in South Florida.
After the workout, the team packed up and headed to the airport to board a flight to Nashville, where this year’s rookie tournament is taking place.
Joining the Panthers in the annual prospect showcase are this year’s host, the Nashville Predators, along with the Carolina Hurricanes and Tampa Bay Lightning.
Much of the group heading to Nashville for the rookie tournament also attended the Cats’ development camp back in July.
For Geordie Kinnear, head coach of Florida’s AHL affiliate in Charlotte and who runs the team’s development and rookie camps, he and his staff want to help the youngsters be the best versions of themselves, on and off the ice.
“Today we talked about maximizing your skill set,” said Kinnear. “You were drafted or invited for a particular reason. We want you to show that, and don't try to do more than that.”
Games for the rookie tournament will be held at Ford Ice Center in Bellvue, and they will all be streamed on NashvillePredators.com, according to the Preds.
Florida’s game schedule is as follows:
Friday, Sept 13: Nashville vs. Florida, 2 p.m. ET
Saturday, Sept. 14: Carolina vs. Florida, 2 p.m. ET
Monday, Sept. 16: Florida vs. Tampa Bay, 10 a.m. ET
You can check out the Panthers' rookie showcase roster below:
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