The Florida Panthers selected speedy forward Jonathan Ang in the fourth round (94th overall) of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft at the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, New York.
In the season prior to being chosen by Florida, Ang played in 68 games for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes and scored 21 goals and 28 assists and showed a bit of chippy side by racking up 44 PIM.
After jumping up to 25 goals and 59 points the following year, Ang inked an entry-level contract during his fourth OHL season. He finished the 2017-18 campaign with 25 goals and set new-career highs with 45 assists and 70 points in 65 combined games with Peterborough and the Sarnia Sting. In the playoffs, he produced 9 points in 12 games for the Sting.
Going professional in 2018-19 , he played in 75 AHL games for the Springfield Thunderbirds, where he totaled just five goals to go along with 20 assists. Ang wasn’t a big goal scorer in junior, so his low total in that department wasn’t a big surprise of an AHL rookie.
His second season in Springfield saw modest improvement. In 49 games, Ang lit the lamp seven times and dished out 14 helpers to finish with 21 points. Two of his goals came shorthanded and two were game-winners. His points per game average increased from .333 to .429 and he posted a +12 rating, which tied Owen Tippett for tops on the team.
It seems highly that Ang returns to the AHL in 2020-21, but he could see some NHL action in the near future as he is an elite skater with okay hands. This is the final year of Ang’s entry-level deal so he’ll need to keep showing improvement to earn another contract with Florida.
What does the future hold for Ang?
| NHL top-six | 1 |
| NHL bottom-six | 15 |
| NHL/AHL “tweener” | 15 |
| Strictly minor-league fodder | 11 |
| Euro pro | 1 |