Florida Panthers: Top Prospects 10-6

10. David Rundblad, D, 20, Lycksele, Sweden

6’2, 190lbs

Acquired in trade with Phoenix

 Rundblad was a huge acquisition when the team acquired him two months ago.  The 20 year old defenseman is spending his last year at Skellefteå in the SEL and has taken the league by storm. He sits 3^rd in the league in points, also making him the highest scoring defenseman this year in the SEL. The progression he has made this year has been impressive and a huge add for the future of the Panthers organization.

 “When we are able to get Rundblad from Phoenix, it really helped us solidify the future of our defense core for many years.  He is probably one of the best offensive D prospects out there and if he can work a bit more on his defensive game, he would be one of the top prospects out there.  He’s got the size, skill and skating ability to at least make him a deadly PP QB and a top 4 defenseman. We are really excited about seeing him over in North America next year and the next progression in his game.”

9. Quinton Howden, LW, 19, Oak Bank, Manitoba

6’3, 183lbs

Acquired in trade with Buffalo

 The addition of Quinton Howden earlier this year seemed odd and looked like a high price to pay to get him from Buffalo but the Panthers organization are pretty confident about his abilities.  The big LW of the Moose Jaw Warriors had an impressive WJC, and since coming back has been on fire in the WHL.  He is 9^th in goal scoring in the WHL, with 38 goals and that’s with missing a month of hockey for the WJC. Howden was thought to be one of the most ready NHL prospects due to his size and solid two-way play. This year though he has shown that he is a strong two-way player with lots of offensive potential and the Panther’s couldn’t be happier to have him on their team.

“It was a high price to pay to get Howden but we have been after him for a long time now. We tried to trade up in the draft to get him but we couldn’t pull it off. Since the draft we’ve been after Buffalo for him and when we got him back in November we were really excited to bring him into this organization.  There is a lot to like about this guy, he is a great skater, he’s big and he has great hockey sense on both sides of the ice. We think he has the abilities to play pro next year but that’s up to him and how well he plays.”

8. Tyler Ennis, LW, 21, Edmonton, Alberta

5’9, 175lbs

Acquired in trade with Buffalo

 When the Panther’s made that massive 21 player deal last season, Tyler Ennis was the main component that convinced the Panther’s to make that trade.  The talented yet small winger has had a lot of success since turning pro. He was the AHL rookie of the year, and became a well known presence when he put up 9 points in a 10 game stint with Buffalo last year. This season hasn’t come as strong but has still been very impressive for the 21 year old, 5’9 rookie. He is on pace for over 40 points in his rookie year and has shown a glimpse at how talented he really is.

 “We have a lot of big wingers in the organization, but in terms of pure skill, he is probably the best. Though his size and physicality holds him back, he still has the talents to be a top end playmaker in this league and can rack up some goals.  He’s played most of the year on our farm team this year, but we envision him as one of our top 6 wingers next year and a key piece in helping us become competitive.”

7. Chris Kreider, LW, 19, Boxford, Massachusetts

6’2, 203lbs

Drafted 1^st round (21^st overall) in 2009, Reacquired in trade with Colorado

 The effort the Panthers put in to make sure they drafted Kreider back in 09’, it seemed odd when the team dealt him to Dallas earlier this year. But after only a month out of the organization, the Panthers re-acquired him from Colorado. The immensely talented skater is another one of those big and talented wingers the Panther’s have brought on recently. In his second year at Boston College, Kreider has continued to impress and has been working on his defensive responsibilities and has started to come on as of late tying his point total from his freshman year, in 8 less games.

 “It was really painful to deal Kreider, but it had to be done to get Luke Schenn. Once he got traded to Colorado though we put all of our efforts into getting him back and after a few weeks of negotiation we managed to pull it off and it’s great to get him back. He is one of those guys that can grow into a really top notch power forward, as he has the size and skill for it. But the biggest asset he has is his speed, and wow does he have a lot of it. He’s has some amazing skating ability and a wicked shot and if he can just continue to work on other facets of his game he will easily be a top line player in this league. We hope to see him go pro next year and hope to see him play a few games at the NHL level next year.”

6. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, D, 19, Karlskrona, Sweden

6’2, 190lbs

Acquired in trade with Phoenix

 The Panthers didn’t envision themselves trading Michael Del Zotto, but they couldn’t pass on the opportunity to bring in the skilled defenseman in Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The defenseman has had a rough start to his North American career, spending time down in the AHL and not producing big numbers in the NHL but he has remain steady and is growing into his role and showing his great abilities on the offensive side of the puck.

 “OEL is one of our main pillars of our future D core. He is just unbelievable on the offensive side of the puck and has some great hockey sense, and he can be an elite puck mover. He needs to work on getting a little bigger and become a little more physical. If he can do that he will easily be a top 2 defender. He will play pro for us next year, whether in the top 4 or on the bottom pairing remains to be seen but he will be a big piece for our team.”