Florida Panthers fans, rejoice, because the future is now! The Panthers announced the signing of the first overall pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Aaron Ekblad was signed to a three year, entry-level contract. Dale Tallon had this to say about the signing:
“We are very pleased to have signed Aaron,” said Tallon. “He is a talented, strong, smart and hardworking defenseman who is ready to take the next step in his professional career. We look forward to watching him compete and develop at our prospects camp, throughout our main training camp and in preseason competition.” [Source: FloridaPanthers.com]
Shortly after the deal was announced, Ekblad took to Twitter and posted the following on his timeline:
"@EK5Colts: Couldn't be happier to reach another milestone in my career by signing my first NHL Contract #FLAPanthers."
Ekblad suffered an "upper-body" injury in August, which was later diagnosed to be a concussion. He suffered the concussion while playing for Canada against the Czech Republic. It is not expected to cause him to miss any time as the Panthers open camp on September 11 for prospects and September 18 for the rest of the team.
Ekblad is just one of many young players the Panthers have on their roster. The team hopes the infusion of youth will help lead them back to the Playoffs.