Samoskevich has looked good during the start of his first full NHL season
Samoskevich has looked good during the start of his first full NHL season
If at first you don’t succeed.
That seemed to be the mantra of Florida Panthers rookie Mackie Samoskevich during the first games of the 2024-25 season.
While Samoskevich had a cup of coffee with Florida last season, playing in seven games between October and January, this is truly what he hopes is the start of a long and prosperous career in the NHL.
Through the first nine games of the season, Samoskevich had logged 11 shots on goal and picked up his first NHL assist, but had yet to light the lamp.
His speed and strong puck stills had led to a handful of wraparound opportunities, but each time, Samoskevich either saw the goalie make a save or the puck slide through the other side of the crease.
He had also rung the goal post at least three times. It felt like just a matter of time.
“You kinda felt like something was coming,” Samoskevich said.
If at first you don’t succeed.
On Saturday night in Long Island, Samoskevich found himself in a familiar position, flying down the right wing with the puck on his stick, heading toward the opposing goal.
He dropped his shoulder and saw Islanders goaltender Symeon Varlamov commit, and quickly darted around the back of the net to the opposite post, tucking the puck over the goal line before Varlamov could react in time.
“It felt unreal,” Samoskevich said after the game. “I had chances and I was playing well. I had a couple wraparounds that I missed, so on this one, I made sure to tuck it in.”
The reaction from the 21-year-old was just as good as the goal itself.
With a smile the size of a Buick, Samoskevich pumped his first and jumped into the arms of his waiting teammates.
“It felt like 1,000 lbs. off my shoulders,” he admitted with a grin. “I felt like I played good enough to score, it just wasn’t going in.”
It wasn’t just the rookie who was thrilled to see the puck go in.
Florida’s bench erupted as all the players jumped up together, while the guys on the ice all swarmed around Mackie. It was almost like an overtime goal had just been scored.
“They were supporting me the whole way, telling me to keep going and it’s coming, stuff like that,” Samoskevich said of his teammates. “It was a huge help having them behind me, for sure.”
Now with a goal and an assist through 10 games this season, Samoskevich will look to continue his positive play as the Panthers get healthier around him.
Once Florida’s forward ranks are back to full strength, Samoskevich should see time on a line with Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, a pair of young Finns who are also experiencing breakout-type seasons.
So yeah, the future is quite bright for young Mackie.
“You’re gonna have good days, you’re gonna have bad days, but the bad days are really where you grow,” he said. “So I think, remember the bad days, but enjoying the good I think is a big thing.”
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