Pre-Article: The Panthers Top 20 Prospects

  With just less then half a season left and only 52 points separating the Panthers from the top team in the east and about 21 points from the 8^th seed, it can get pretty gloomy in the sunshine state. So we are here today to show the only bright spot of this team, and that’s the future. It can be argued that the Panthers have one of the top prospect pools in the league and over the next two weeks, we will be showing you the team’s top 20 prospects, five at a time. But until then we give you four players who just came short on this elusive list.

Alexander Fallstrom, RW, 19, Gothenburg, Sweden

6’2, 192lbs

Acquired: Trade with Toronto

 Fallstrom was acquired by the Panthers in November after getting him in a trade for Brendan Witt. It seems like the Panthers had actually had him quite high on the team’s draft board and missed the chance to take him, but in the end still got him.  Fallstrom is a good all-around player, but is also a pretty good goal scorer as he has shown when he led the J18 Allsvenskan (North) in 2006-07. He plays with very good energy and intensity and really shows the ability to never give up. Though he has one lacking quality is that he is pretty poor with his skating and could use to be better and quicker on his skates.

  He made an interesting career move when he came to the States to play for Shattuck St.Mary’s where he had really excelled scoring 87 points in 52 games last year.  In his move to the collegiate game, he is spending his first year in the critically acclaimed Harvard University. Though not the greatest hockey program the move there really impressed the Panthers scouts. He is having a relatively solid freshman year and it wouldn’t be surprising if he spent a few more years there.

Why he didn’t make the top 20: Well his skating hampered him but there was really nowhere to fit him in the list and just barely missed.

Nick Ross, D, 21, Lethbridge, Alberta

6’1, 196lbs                                                                                 

Acquired: Trade with the Kings

 Ross is another prospect that just missed the cut that was also traded for this year, when he was acquired in a deal for JS Giguere. But why would they trade for him if he didn’t even make the top 20. Well don’t be too alarmed as it is known that the team is still pretty high on him, but with other d-men prospects in the system, it seems like he will have enough time to develop. When taken he was supposed to be that solid two-way defenseman who could lay out a big open ice hit but obviously he has not lived up to expectations.

 After having a pretty solid year in his last year in the WHL, his transition has been mediocre. Ross had actually spent some time in the ECHL while currently having a sub-par year in San Antonio. The team expects him to spend the next two years developing his game and show why he was taken in the 1^st round.

Why he didn’t make the Top 20: His play has dropped off and is a victim of stronger players ahead of him. 

Robbie Czarnik, C, 20, Roseville, Michigan

6’0, 178lbs

Acquired: Drafted 2008

 A project pick by the team in 2008, the team was really hoping that this guy’s offensive potential would be tapped and they would be dwelling in their riches. So far, that has not happened. The team saw him play with the US under 18 team, and everyone’s scouts were saying that this guy has offensive skills and a hell of a shot. Though even with poor stats going into the draft, the Panthers still took him.

  When he moved to the University of Michigan the team hoped to see more of a progression, but in his first season none of that was seen. So he was placed in the back of the minds of the Panthers staff and moved onto other prospects. It was not till he moved from Michigan to the Plymouth Whalers of the OHL this season that he began to be noticed again by Panthers brass. His 31 points in 32 games are impressive and the team is starting to look at putting him back in their plans, they just hope he can take another step in his offensive game.

Why he didn’t make the Top 20: Obvious, wasn’t impressive since being drafted but has certainly turned it on since moving to the OHL.

Geordie Wudrick, LW, 19, Abbotsford, British Columbia

6’3, 208lbs

Acquired: Drafted 2008                           

 When Geordie was taken the team saw him as a nice project. He was a physical edgy player with potential to get some scoring ability. He had always shown that he was a good puck handler but the year after his draft he exploded going from 20 goals to 35 goals which really impressed the teams scouting staff.

So he should have been a lock for the top 20, right? Wrong, Wudrick sputtered out this season playing poorly to start the year with Swift Current. Though, since being traded to the Kelowna Rockets, he has been on fire with 24 points in 26 games. The team hopes he can continue to improve as they would like to see him with the Panthers in the future.

Why he didn’t make the Top 20: Obviously the poor start put him out of contention and a more solid and consistent offensive game should put him there.

 Well I hope that gives a taste of what’s to come. That’s just the guys who missed the list. That’s not the only guys to miss the list including guys like Brett Sutter, Sean Lorenz, Jacob Dowell, Tim Brent and even Alex Berry. We hope you come in to read the next parts of our lists as we count down to #1.