Panthers select Aaron Ekblad with 1st overall pick in NHL Draft
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The Florida Panthers selected defenseman Aaron Ekblad with the 1st overall pick of the 2014 NHL Draft on Friday.
Ekblad: "I feel like I can step in next year and make a difference."
— James Mirtle (@mirtle) June 27, 2014
#FlaPanthers Ekblad: "They have a young core and they want a Stanley Cup. This D core in a couple years is going to be pretty good."
— Erin Brown (@rinkside) June 28, 2014
Widely regarded as the best defenseman, if not the best player, in the 2014 NHL Draft, Ekblad has the ability to control the game at both ends of the ice. A strong skater with soft hands for his size, he's just as capable of firing a rocket past the opposition goalie as he is clearing the front of his own net and thwarting an offensive attack.
[Courtesy: NHL.com]
The 18-year-old was named the OHL's top defenseman in 2013-14, and he won top honors in four different categories in the annual Coaches Poll: best shot, hardest shot, best offensive defenseman and best defensive defenseman.
In 116 career games with the OHL's Barrie Colts, Ekblad averaged a point per game from the blue line, recording 40 goals and 76 assists.
Ekblad already has a home in Florida with veteran defenseman Ed Jovanovski:
"I have few extra bedrooms so if he wants to, he can crash here with me,'' Jovanovski told George Richards of the Miami Herald. "Players have extended that kind of invitations before and he sounds like a nice kid. Any way I can help him I will."