The Florida Panthers selected defenseman and Texas native Max Gildon in the third round (66th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
In the season prior to being chosen by Florida, Gildon appeared in 26 games for the United States National Development Program U18 team and produced five goals and nine assists.
After having his name called by the Panthers, Gildon took his talents to the University of New Hampshire and appeared in 36 games during his freshman season, He scored eight goals, including a hat trick on October 20th against Colorado College, and added 15 assists to go along with a -5 rating.
In his sophomore season, Gildon’s numbers were similar, as he finished with 6 goals, 15 assists and a -7 rating in 31 games with the Wildcats.
As a junior, the 20-year-old blueliner appeared in 34 games with the University of New Hampshire, producing a team-leading 29 points (7G/22A). Named to Hockey East’s 2019-20 Third All-Star Team, Gildon’s 29 points ranked him third among all Hockey East defensemen in scoring, he was second in goals and fourth in assists. Gildon was tied for fifth in the league with 18 power-play points.
The 6-foot-3, 191-pound native of Plano, TX recorded 73 points (21G/52A) over 101 NCAA games with the Wildcats (2017-18 to 2019-20). Gildon led the club’s defensemen in scoring In each of his three seasons with New Hampshire.
On the international stage, Gildon won gold with Team USA at the 2017 U-18 World Junior Championship, posting six points (4-2-6) in seven games, leading all of the tournament’s in goals (4) and was named to the tournament’s All-Star Team.
At 6-foot-3 and 191 pounds, Gildon’s size, offensive potential and ability to eat up minutes make him a noteworthy prospect. He has looked very good when in Sunrise participating in development camp.
Gildon signed his entry-level contract on March 26 and will be ticketed for a year or two of development time in the AHL, once that league gets going again.
What does the future hold for Gildon?
| NHL first pairing | 6 |
| NHL second pairing | 26 |
| NHL third pairing | 7 |
| NHL/AHL “tweener” | 3 |
| Strictly minor-league fodder | 2 |