The Aaron Ekblad era has officially begun in South Florida.
It's hard to believe that it's already been over two months since Ekblad strolled across the stage at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia to shake hands with Panthers general manager Dale Tallon after hearing his name called as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft.
The first defenseman to be selected first overall since 2006, Ekblad signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers on Wednesday.
"We are very pleased to have signed Aaron," Tallon said in a press release. "He is a talented, strong, smart and hardworking defenseman who is ready to take the next step in his professional career. We look forward to watching him compete and develop at our prospects camp, throughout our main training camp and in preseason competition."
The Ontario Hockey League's most outstanding defenseman during the 2013-2014 season, Ekblad finished the regular season ranked first in goals (23) and tied for fifth in points (53) among players at his position. An 18-year-old prodigy, the 6-foot-3, 213-pound defenseman became just the third player to earn the OHL's most outstanding defenseman honor at that age in the past 20 years, following Ryan Ellis (selected 11th overall by Nashville in 2009) and Bryan Berard (selected 1st overall by Ottawa in 1995).
"I consider it as a set of milestones leading up to my first NHL season," Ekblad said of signing his first pro contract. "Obviously the draft was a big one, this is a big one, and coming into camp next week is going to be a big one as well. I'm pretty excited. It's a pretty cool experience for sure."
Starved for top-tier defensive talent, the Panthers finished 29th in the NHL in goals allowed per game last season. With the addition of both Ekblad and free agent Willie Mitchell to the blueline, the organization believes they can turn things around quickly and contend for a playoff spot in the upcoming season. A daunting task for any player, let alone an 18-year-old.
Ekblad doesn't plan to crumble under the weight of these great expectations.
"I wouldn't say I'm an anxious or nervous person," he said. "I'm very calm and collected with my life in dealing about most things. I couldn't be happier to be put in this position. I know Florida is going to have a good team next year and in the upcoming years. I'm excited to be a part of that process and help turn things around there."
In his first on-ice action with the Panthers at the team's annual development camp in July, Ekblad's performance did much to reaffirm the team's decision to select him first overall rather than trading away the top pick for more immediate help. Although he was critical of his own defensive play, Ekblad's slap-shot goal during the team's intrasquad scrimmage and the overall maturity level he displayed throughout the week caught the eye of Panthers director of player development Brian Skrudland.
"What we expected is what we got," Skrudland said of Ekblad's performance at camp. "He's not only a great hockey individual, but he's a good person off the ice. He seemed to take a leadership role with this group right off the hop and ran with it. He was vocal, respectable, everything it takes to be a Panther. His future looks bright."
While Ekblad's quick ascension to the Panthers roster will come as a surprise to few, his journey to the NHL nearly suffered a huge setback just a few weeks ago.
Attending Canada's summer world junior evaluation camp, Ekblad suffered a concussion in Canada's 6-2 victory over the Czech Republic during an exhibition game on Aug. 6. As a precautionary measure, Team Canada and the Panthers agreed to shut him down for the remainder of the camp.
"I actually thought, 'You know what, this feeling will go away in a couple of days,' and one of the doctors was like, 'Yeah, probably in about 7-14 days,' " Ekblad said of his concussion. "I thought that was almost ridiculous because I've never really had that kind of injury before. However, I feel great now. I'm ready to go. I've had a couple of good weeks of training under my belt and I think that's really helped me put things into perspective. I know I have a lot of hard work to get to make the team but I feel ready to go and my head definitely will not set me back."
Free of any concussion-related symptoms as of several weeks ago, a now-healthy Ekblad will report to the team's prospects camp in Florida on Sept. 11.
You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.
