Florida Panthers development camp begins this morning and will be comprised of a total of 37 players. Among the collection of drafted or signed Panthers prospects are 17 players who are looking to make a name for themselves as they work towards a career in the professional ranks.
After checking out the forwards yesterday, let’s take a look at the seven defensemen and two goalies who will join Marek Alscher, Evan Nause, Ludvig Jansson, Kasper Puutio, Luke Coughlin, Spencer Knight, Ludovic Waeber, Tyler Muszelik and Olof Glifford this week at Ice Den in Coral Springs.
Defensemen
Dru Krebs (20), 6’1″, 180 lbs (LH) from Alberta: Drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2021 as the 176th overall pick, he was not signed to an entry-level contract. Krebs was team MVP for the WHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers this year and had a career season as he played in 67 games and produced 41 points (8 goals, 33 assists). In four seasons with the Tigers, Krebs played in a total of 211 games, scoring 15 goals and 69 assists for 84 points. One notable mention is that his older brother, Peyton, was drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights and is now a member of the Buffalo Sabres.
Djibril Toure (20), 6’7″, 200 lbs (RH) from Quebec: He was invited to both the Ottawa Senators and Panthers development camp. The speedy Toure had an excellent first season with the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves. He appeared in 57 games and had five goals and 14 points to go along with a plus-14 rating. Moving up from the Junior A-level CCHL, he was a standout at Wolves camp and was able to earn a spot on the starting defensive rotation.
Owen Brady (20), 6’4″, 195 lbs (LH) from Ontario: Brady had to suspend his career at age sixteen due to a cancer diagnosis and returned to the CCHL after recovering from major surgery. Ken Campbell wrote an article about him that you can find here From cancer to clearing the crease: The Owen Brady story Brady played in the CCHL last season for the Carleton Place Canadians and produced a goal and 16 points in 44 games.
Chandler Romeo (19), 6’5″, 205 lbs (LH) from Ontario: He was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the seventh round (202nd overall) in 2021, but was not signed to a contract. Romeo has been known more for his defensive game and fighting, however, upon joining the Guelph Storm for the second half of the 2022-2023 campaign, he potted an eye-opening 8 goals. His regular season career statistics in the OHL are 11 goals, 24 assists, and 153 penalty minutes in 121 games played.
Lukas Gustafsson (20), 5’10″, 190 lbs (LH) from Alpharetta, GA: Gustafsson is a very versatile defenseman who started off playing forward. During the 2021-2022 season, he played for USHL’s Chicago Steel and scored 11 goals and 27 assists for 38 points in 59 games. In his first season at Boston College, he appeared in 35 games and produced 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists). Interesting fact, he is the son of Marcus Gustafsson, who won an NCAA title at Maine and played three AHL games and one season in the ECHL with the New Orleans Brass.
Josef Mysak (23), 6’3″, 205 lbs (LH) from the Czech Republic: Mysak played in the HC Litvinov program from U16 to U18, and then moved to North America to join the Austin Bruins organization (NAHL). In 152 games over three seasons, with Austin, he totaled 18 goals and 41 assists. After leaving the Bruins, he enrolled at Niagara University. In 2022-23, he skated in 39 games and scored three goals and added 14 assists as a junior.
Luis Lindner (22), 5’11″, 170 lbs (LH) from Austria: Lindner has represented Austria at the World Junior Championships U18 and U20. He moved to the United States to join the Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) and played one season there, scoring 8 goals and 34 assists. He moved on to American International College where he had a great freshman year, producing 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) and posted a plus-19 rating in just 24 games. This past season he collected seven assists in 35 games for the Yellow Jackets. Lindner has transferred to the University of New Hampshire for his upcoming junior season.
Goalies
Cooper Black (20), 6’8″, 216 lbs (L) from Michigan: Black was named Team MVP and Michigan Hockey Goalie of the Year as a senior at Alpena High School. He played in the BCHL for a year before starting at Dartmouth College. Black appeared in all 30 of the Big Green’s games as a freshman. He posted three shutouts and finished with a .899 save percentage on a team which only won five times and tied once during a very difficult 2022-23 campaign. Last season, he was invited to attend Calgary Flames development camp.
Charlie Robertson (18), 6’3″, 167 lbs (L) from Ontario: Robertson was in the London Jr. Knights U16 program and was drafted in the seventh round (130th overall) of the OHL draft by North Bay Battalions. He was named OHL Rookie of the Month in March 2023, posting a 5-0 record with a 1.79 goals-against average and .942 save percentage with two shutouts. Overall, Robertson went 12-6-0 and had three shutouts and recorded a .892 save percentage in 21 appearances this season.