The Florida Panthers agreed to terms with undrafted goaltender Cooper Black on a two-year, entry-level on April 2, 2024 after the towering keeper completed his second NCAA season with Dartmouth College.
As a sophomore, Black appeared in 30 games with Dartmouth in 2023-24, posting a 13-8-8 record, .910 save percentage, 2.58 goals against average and two shutouts en route to being named a finalist for the Ken Dryden ECAC Goaltender of the Year Award. The first of his two shutouts came in the 34th annual Ledyard Classic against Lake Superior State, while the other was against Clarkson, in a 3-0 victory that started a six-game winning streak for the Big Green. Black allowed only three total goals in the ECAC Hockey Quarterfinal sweep of Union, sending the Big Green to Lake Placid, NY for the league semifinals for the first time since 2015-16.
Black’s freshman season saw him start all 30 of Dartmouth’s games. He finished the campaign with 790 saves, a .899 save percentage and a 3.07 goals against average. He recorded first career shutout in a 28-save performance in the 6-0 rout over Yale on November 4, 2022. He blanked Yale again on January 21 and also record a shutout on home ice against Union in February. He was named the ECAC Hockey MAC Goaltending Goaltender of the Week on November 7. Black attended development camp with the Colorado Avalanche after the season.
Prior to enrolling at Dartmouth, Black led the Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) to a Coastal Conference championship in 2021-22. He posted a league-leading .924 save percentage, and went 24-7-1 with a 2.62 goals against average and two shutouts.
After inking his entry-level deal, Black made his AHL debut on April 21, 2024, on a PTO with Charlotte (a 4-1 loss to Lehigh Valley) and then attended development camp and training camp with the Panthers.
Black earned his first professional win on October 26, 2024 in a 5-2 victory over the Bridgeport Islanders, In addition to collecting the “W”, he also drew an assist in the game. He posted the first of his three shutouts on November 30, when he made 23 saves to blank the Iowa Wild at Bojangles Coliseum.
Due to the presence of veterans Chris Driedger, Ken Appleby and Kaapo Kähkönen, Black appeared in just 17 games, but his numbers were what one wants to see in a goaltending prospect. He went 11-4-1 with an impressive 1.98 goals against average and .910 save percentage, making the most of his limited opportunities.
Black also made seven ECHL appearance with the Savannah Ghost Pirates. He went 4-3 with a 3.07 goals against average and .910 save percentage for Savannah.
Black is back with the Checkers this season, where he will fight for playing time behind veteran newcomer Brandon Bussi, veteran Evan Cormier and fellow prospect Kirill Gerasimyuk, who was taken by the Panthers in the fifth round of the 2021 draft.