Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid debut striking headgear featuring Fort Lauderdale skylines, textured claw marks, and personal tributes to protect the net for a new era in Florida.
The Florida Panthers have a new look in the goal crease this season.
For the first time in nearly a decade, the Panthers are starting the campaign with two new goaltenders.
Over the summer, Florida acquired Jacob Markstrom in a trade with the New Jersey Devils and Akria Schmid in a deal with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Both are signed through the next two seasons.
In addition to adjusting to a couple of new netminders on the ice, there is also the aesthetic element to take into account.
As we’ve seen over the past week since the beginning of training camp, both Markstrom and Schmid have brought some new Panthers-themed gear into the fold.
Mainly, we’re talking about the new paint jobs on their goalie masks.
Markstrom’s new lid came courtesy of Pro Choice goalie masks, which gave paint credit to artist Ari H.C. and airbrush company MM of Sweden, and features a lifelike Panthers face covering most of the front and top of the helmet.
The background is a blue evening sky, with the moon hovering over what appears to be the Fort Lauderdale skyline on the right side, and his number “25” and the Panthers shield logo on the left side.
A full blue cage on the front of the helmet really makes the colors pop off the mask as well.
Shifting gears to Schmid’s mask, The Hockey News was given a chance to examine it up close and personal while getting the details directly from the young goaltender on the artwork by New Jack’s Airbrush.
For some of the elements of his new mask, Schmid kept things consistent with what he’s done in the past.
The big Panthers shield logo placed prominently at the crown of the helmet and his number 40 at the chin are both elements he’s used previously.
On the left side, there is an extremely detailed silhouette of a snarling Panthers face almost hidden behind the red, white and gold stripes, some of which were designed to look like scratch marks from claws.
The right side features the same colored stripes and claw marks, but this side incorporates an element of his new home, with several tall palm trees leading to Fort Lauderdale’s beachfront skyline.
It’s also worth noting that the paint job itself is extremely detailed and textured, something Schmid admitted concerned him because he felt the paint would be damaged by pucks.
We spoke after a few days of training camp practices and Schmid said he thought by then, there would’ve been some evidence of puck violence on the paint job, but it still looked as good as new.
The back plate of the helmet features several silhouetted palm trees on a red background, with a couple white stripes along the bottom.
Additionally, Schmid’s beloved golden doodle Stella is featured prominently on the backplate.
He's had Stella for four years, and clearly there is a strong bond if the pup has made it's way to special placement on his goalie helmet.
Overall, the detailed paint jobs on both of Florida’s goaltenders’ masks are beautiful works of art.
If you get the chance to get down by the glass for a Panthers game, practice or pregame warmup, it’ll be worth the trip for an up-close look at these masks.
Below you can find a few close-up photos of Schmid's mask that he was kind enough to allow THN Florida to snap.
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Photo caption: Sep 22, 2026; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; Florida Panthers goaltenderJacobMarkstrom(25) looks on against the Carolina Hurricanes during the first period at Lenovo Center. (James Guillory-Imagn Images)
