They certainly won’t get the notoriety of Havard’s Jimmy Vesey, but Florida Panthers draftees Ben Gallacher and Eddie Wittchow are now unrestricted free agents after the August 15 deadline for signing the two NCAA-trained defensemen passed without Florida inking either to an entry-level contract.
Gallacher was taken by the Cats in the fourth round (93rd overall) in the 2010 Entry Draft. After playing his freshman year at Ohio State University, he skated for one season with the USHL’s Green Bay Gamblers before returning to school and playing three seasons with Hockey East’s UMass-Amherst.
Wittchow was a sixth-round selection (154th overall) in 2011. The big-bodied defender played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin. He scored one goal and added 16 assists in 123 games for the Badgers.
Even though they are no longer Florida property, we wish both players the best of luck as they embark on their professional careers.