After a little break, the T25U25 countdown returns with the Florida Panthers second choice at he 2013 NHL Entry Draft.
#9: Ian McCoshen
Position: Defenseman
Age: 23
Team: Florida Panthers
Drafted in 2013, 2nd Round (31st Overall)
The Panthers drafted Ian McCoshen with the first pick of the second round of the 2013 draft in Newark after the blueliner’s standout third season with the USHL’s Waterloo Black Hawks. McCoshen went on to play three season at Boston College before signing an entry-level contract on June 19, 2016.
In his first season of professional hockey, McCoshen appeared in 68 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds where he produced 4 goals, 12 assists and 37 PIM. He played 3 games with the Cats late in the 2016-17 campaign and picked up his first NHL point, an assist, against the St. Louis Blues on April 6, in his first career game in the bigs.
This past season saw McCoshen get in 38 games with Florida. His final stat line included 3 goals, 1 assist, 25 PIM and a -10 rating. He missed four games with an upper-body injury, but found himself a healthy scratch for the rest of the games as the club’s 7th defensemen, beaten out for playing time by fellow rookie MacKenzie Weegar.
2018-19 could be more for the same for McCoshen, as the addition of former KHLer Bogdan Kiselevich means there will be at least eight players battling for six spots, so the physical, stay-at-home McCoshen will have to beat out one of Kiselevich, Weegar, Alex Petrovic or Mark Pysyk just to have a spot on the team, and two of those players to become a regular.
McCoshen and Kiselevich are the only two of that group that are exempt from waivers so don’t be surprised if young Ian spends more time apprenticing in Springfield, depending on how NHL-ready Kiselevich is. Both Petrovic and Kiselevich will become an unrestricted free agents after this season, so if one, or both, aren’t in the club’s long-term plans, when a move is made there is when a path could clear for McCoshen to become a Panther full-time.
What Do You Think Of McCoshen’s Ranking?
| Too High | 25 |
| Too Low | 5 |
| Just Right | 26 |