Thank you for stopping by for today’s entry in the canon of Florida Panthers history. For a full rundown on how the list was created, click here.
In our last entry, we went over former Panthers D Dmitry Yushkevich (23 games, one goal, six assists), RW Scott Levins (29 games, five goals, six assists), D Randy Moller (17 games, three assists), and D John Jakopin (82 games, one goal, two assists).
Today, we will look at the next four entries on the list, a British Columbian goaltender, a Finnish defenseman, a left winger from Alberta, and a right winger from Quebec.
For more, including a poll, follow along after the jump.
164. Wade Flaherty
Flaherty was a 6′ goaltender from Terrace, British Columbia. He was with the WHL Victoria Cougars when the Buffalo Sabres selected him in the ninth round of the 1988 NHL Draft with the 181st overall pick. In five WHL seasons he finished with a 42-42-0 record.
After burning 1989-90 with the ECHL Greensboro Monarchs (12-10-0, 4.40 GAA), Flaherty spent the following season with the IHL Kansas City Blades. Most of the next four seasons were spent on the Blades roster, totalling a 108-93-23 record. His NHL rights were gained by the San Jose Sharks prior to the 1991-92 season, and Flaherty would make four NHL starts during the same time, totalling an 0-4-0 record, with an .891 save percentage.
In parts of five seasons with the Sharks, Flaherty finished with a 10-26-2 record, a 4.29 GAA and an .878 save percentage. After the 1996-97 season, he signed a free agent contract with the New York Islanders. Flaherty spent parts of four seasons with the Isles, finishing with a 15-26-6 record over 60 contests and a 2.84 GAA with an .897 save percentage. The Islanders traded him to the Tampa Bay Lightning on February 16, 2001 for “future considerations.”
For Tampa Bay, Flaherty posted an 0-2 record through the rest of the season, signing another free agent contract after the season, this time with the Panthers. He would spend the balance of the season with the Panthers AHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, posting a 22-13-5 record. He was called up to the Panthers in March, winning his first two decisions (2-1 over the Montreal Canadiens and 4-3 over the Ottawa Senators) by allowing only four goals against 73 saves (a .945 save percentage). He took a loss in his next start on March 30th, to the New York Rangers, 4-2 before adding a 4-4 tie versus the Philadelphia Flyers on April 8.
Flaherty appeared in one more NHL contest with the Nashville Predators the following season. He would play several more seasons with assorted AHL franchises, including the San Antonio Rampage (11-13-5), the Milwaukee Admirals (21-12-3), the Manitoba Moose (62-36-9), and the Rockford IceHogs (13-8-1). He played in 36 games with the Asian league China Sharks in 2008-09 at the age of 41.
All-Time Statline: One season, four games, 2-1-1 record, 245 minutes, 136 saves, 12 goals allowed, .919 save percentage, 2.94 GAA, 0.7 APS.
163. Ville Koistinen
Koistinen was a 6′ defenseman from Oulu, Finland. He played parts of six seasons with Ilves Tampere of the Finnish League (239 games, 26 goals, 65 assists) before signing a free agent contract with the Nashville Predators on May 11, 2006. He scored nine goals with 32 assists for the AHL Milwaukee Admirals in 2006-07.
2007-08 would see Koistinen open the season with the Predators, spending 86 games over the next two seasons with Nashville. He totalled seven goals and 21 assists with a plus-13 rating and 32 PIM.
Koistinen signed a free agent contract with the Panthers on July 1, 2009. He would play in 17 of Florida’s first 22 games that season, scoring one goal and three assists. He finished the season with the Rochester Americans in the AHL.
Ville Koistinen scores against Hawks (via tumpero)
Koistinen went back across the pond following the 2009-10 season, since appearing with Skelleftea HC (31 games, four goals, eight assists), Ilves Tampere (28 games, seven goals, 10 assists), and Ufa Salavat Yulayev (three games).
All-Time Statline: One season, 17 games, one goal, three assists, four points, plus-1 rating, eight PIM, 0.8 APS.
162. Scottie Upshall
Upshall was a 6′ winger from Fort McMurray, Alberta. He was picked in the first round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators with the sixth overall pick. As a three-year member of the WHL Kamloops Blazers, he lit the lamp 99 times in 173 games with 127 assists.
Upshall made his pro debut with the Predators in 2002-03, scoring one goal for the team and spending the first month in Nashville. After his short tryout, the Preds sent him back to Kamloops for more seasoning.
2003-04 would see Upshall start the season with the Admirals, scoring 13 goals with 11 assists in 31 contests, and adding on seven NHL appearances with Nashville, tabbing one assist.
Without the pressure of making the NHL squad the following season, Upshall was free to concentrate on his production at the AHL level. He scored 19 goals with 27 assists in 62 games with Milwaukee. The following season would see him finally make a mark at the Major League level, in 48 NHL games scoring eight goals and 16 assists with a plus-14 rating.
14 games into the 2006-07 season, Upshall was dealt to the Philadelphia Flyers with Ryan Parent, along with a first and third round pick, for Peter Forsberg. As a Flyer for most of the next three seasons, he tabbed 27 goals with 37 assists in 134 games. The Flyers sent him to the Phoenix Coyotes with a second round pick for Daniel Carcillo on March 4, 2009.
As a Coyote, Upshall scored 42 goals and 30 assists in 129 games through the trade deadline of the 2010-11 season. The Columbus Blue Jackets sent Rostislave Klesla and Dane Byers for Upshall and Sami Lepisto on February 28. He played the last 21 games of the season as a Jacket, with six goals and one assist.
Upshall was part of the mass influx of free agent signings on July 2nd last year. Upshall was only on the ice for a total of 331 minutes last season in 26 games, restricted by two injuries. He scored two goals on 52 shots with three assists. Upshall is a spark plug. He’s a real digger and a heck of a competitor who doesn’t shy away from the corners. He didn’t get much in the way of results, and went on the IR after 15 games with an upper body injury. He returned for two games in January, only to go back on the IR with a sports hernia, joining the team again for the final nine games of the season. Upshall turned it up a little in the playoffs for Florida, making two assists in a game three victory and adding a goal in the Panthers game five shutout against the Devils.
Scottie Upshall goal; NJ Devils vs Panthers 4/21/12 NHL Hockey (via Fred Murtz)
All-Time Statline: One season, 26 games, two goals, three assists, five points, minus-3 rating, 29 PIM, 0.8 APS.
161. Pierre Dagenais
Dagenais was a 6’3 left winger from Blainville, Quebec. He was selected by the New Jersey Devils in the second round of the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, with the 47th overall pick. Instead of signing with the Devils, he elected to spend more time in the QMJHL. His final season in the league was 1997-98 with the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. He scored 66 goals and 67 assists in 60 games. He was again selected by the Devils, this time in the fourth round of the 1998 NHL Entry Draft with the 105th overall pick.
The next two seasons were spent exclusively in Albany, with New Jersey’s AHL affilate, the River Rats. He scored 52 goals with 43 assists in 149 games. 2000-01 would see him make his first NHL appearance, scoring three goals and two assists in nine Devils games. He would add three goals and three assists in 2001-02 before the Devils put him on waivers on January 12, 2002, where the Panthers would pick him up. He finished out the season on Florida’s NHL roster, scoring seven goals with an assist in 26 contests. He scored two goals on April 8th in a 4-4 tie with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Dagenais spent most of the 2002-03 season with Florida’s AHL affilate, the San Antonio Rampage. In 49 games scoring 21 goals and 14 assists. He was twice called up to fill in with the Panthers, in nine games failing to make any impact on the scoresheet.
After the season, Dagenais signed a free agent contract to play with the Montreal Canadiens. Over the next two seasons (three calendar years), he totalled 82 games, scoring 22 goals and 17 assists with a plus-10 rating and 40 PIM.
In subsequent seasons, Dagenais played with the Finnish Elite league Jokerit Helsinki (16 games, two goals, seven assists), the Austrian Leagues Innsbruck AV (71 games, 60 goals, 37 assists), The Russian team, Chalyabinsk Traktor (94 games, 23 goals, 16 assists), and the FHL Akwesasne Warriors (68 games, 107 goals, 90 assists).
All-Time Statline: Two seasons, 35 games, seven goals, one assist, eight points, minus-6 rating, eight PIM, 0.8 APS.
Thanks for stopping by and checking out today’s rankings. Tune in tomorrow for the latest, a right winger from Pittsburgh, two defensemen, one from Minnesota and one from Ottawa, and a Czech left winger.
Scottie Upshall has managed to play in over 60 games only three-times in his NHL career. If healthy for at least 95% of Florida’s games, what kind of production do you expect out of him?
| 10 goals, 20 points | 3 |
| 15 goals, 30 points | 13 |
| 20 goals, 40 points | 19 |
| 25 goals, 50 points | 5 |