The Florida Panthers have been getting some strong, consistent play from their youngest player.
Rookie Mackie Samoskevich is having a solid first season in the NHL.
Florida’s first round selection at the 2021 NHL Draft, Samoskevich went pro after two years at the University of Michigan and spent the majority of last season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
The first-year professional led the Checkers in scoring, racking up 22 goals and 54 points in 62 games while helping Charlotte reach the Calder Cup Playoffs.
This season, Samoskevich was on the Panthers’ Opening Night roster and has looked the part of an up-and-coming NHL prospect, gradually and consistently improving as the year has gone by.
After logging only a single assist and a minus-7 on-ice rating during his first nine games this season, something seemed to click right around Florida’s extended, international road trip that bridged October and November.
He scored his first two NHL goals during that trip and was a plus-3, and has seen his ice time and responsibilities grow in the weeks that have passed since.
Now Samoskevich is up to five goals and nine points and is earning more and more of the trust of the coaching staff.
Case in point, Tuesday night in Seattle.
Samoskevich started the game on the fourth line, and shift after shift, the rookie’s play was noticeable for all the right reasons.
“It a funny thing, when he was playing with Greer and Nosek, they were getting all kinds of action,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said after the game. “I think that there’s an advantage to us with him on that line, but every time he has a game where I think he’s going well, I like to get him a little bit more (ice time).”
While he didn’t end up cracking the scoresheet, it wasn’t for a lack of trying or opportunities as Samoskevich finished with a career high six shots on 11 attempts.
The results are coming, but what the coaching staff loves is that the youngster is doing it the right way.
He’s putting in the work, he’s listening to his coaches and teammates and he’s willing to do whatever it takes.
Should he and the team continue on this path, the sky is the limit for the former top pick.
“I thought that he turned some really good, hard work into offense and into chances, instead of kind of waiting for a play, for an opportunity to make a play,” Maurice said. “I thought he forced some issues, so I’m really happy with him, and where he’s at.”
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