The NHL Redux: Aaron Ekblad transitioning beyond his years all over again

Each week, theScore's Justin Cuthbert will dive into the happenings of the NHL and preview the weekend's worth of action.

The Florida Panthers have nine games to decide Aaron Ekblad's playing fate, but his major junior coach required just a single shift to recognize the writing on the wall.

"I turned to my wife and said 'well, he won't be back,'" Dale Hawerchuk said with a laugh.

The first-overall draft selection's welcoming to the NHL was anything but wide-eyed. Ekblad was immediately effective, but also made considerable strides from game to game and steadily gained the trust of his new head coach, Gerard Gallant, each time he pulled the Panthers' sweater over his shoulder pads. 

It's now the second time in four seasons Ekblad has seamlessly assimilated into a league played well beyond his years. Four years ago, he was the first defenseman in Canadian major junior history to be granted "exceptional player" status to join the OHL as a 15-year-old, and was quickly earning big minutes with Hawerchuk's Barrie Colts.

"He’s always been mature well beyond his years," Hawerchuk told theScore, adding, "sometimes when he was 15, I really would forget. A 15-year-old playing top minutes against 19- and 20-year-olds.

"In the heat of the moment, you think you have a 20-year-old out there."

A similar sentiment rang true watching the 6-foot-3, 216-pound Ekblad - now the NHL's youngest player at 18 years and eight months - navigate through his first three pro starts at the position requiring the greatest learning curve. 

His proficiency in his own end was instant, and honestly, rather astounding. Without the puck, he seemed to have his big body constantly wedged between his check and the crease, and was particularly adept at working the puck toward safe areas for easy clearance.

Check out this defensive effort on the second shift of his career. He intercepts Steven Stamkos' attempt to cycle and then coolly chips the puck into open space for partner Brian Campbell. 

Invariably, his competence extends beyond his own end. Ekblad's ventures into the offensive zone came without hesitation (he attempted seven shots at goal in his NHL debut) and were rarely misguided. To that, he saw his number of shifts increase each game, with much of his extra ice coming on the power play. 

He commands the offensive zone here, making an even-strength situation look like a power play before securing his first NHL point on Jonathan Huberdeau's goal.

(Courtesy: SunSports)

Ekblad's skills, stature and cerebral approach - the same combination that once convinced Hawerchuk that an under-developed bantam player could be Barrie's best defenseman - has this hockey savant on the fast-track to professional superstardom. 

Unfortunately, empty seats shrouded the league's most impressive rookie debut as ongoing concern regarding Florida's market viability has dominated the headlines. But if Ekblad continues to make similar strides on a nightly basis, he may prove to have the disposition necessary to duplicate what a certain first-overall selection of the Pittsburgh Penguins did for his floundering franchise nine years ago. 

It's both a burden and a comparison entirely unfair, but one Ekblad likely wouldn't shy away from.

The Next 48

We won't have all 30 teams in action Saturday night like last week, but the NHL weekend remains quite tasty. 

The Anaheim Ducks and St. Louis Blues will test their mettle against one another Friday before staying in-state for marquee Western Conference showdowns Sunday. The Ducks, who opened the season with three road victories in four opportunities, will attempt to solve the suddenly-impregnable Darcy Kuemper when the 2-0 Minnesota Wild pay a visit. St. Louis then bookend their weekend with a second clash in four nights with the defending champion Los Angeles Kings. 

The league's other Cali franchise, the San Jose Sharks, will continue their early-season trip through the Metropolitan Saturday in New Jersey before taking the ferry into New York for a matinee on Broadway. Unfortunately, the presence of Dan Boyle's understudy will ultimately reduce the price of admission. 

In the Atlantic, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings will renew their Original-6 rivalry with a home-and-home beginning north of the border Friday. Meanwhile, Danny Briere and P-A Parenteau will scribble a dollar amount onto the whiteboard in hopes of inciting a victory over their former employer when the Colorado Avalanche visit the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday. 

Finally, in a game only recently circled in red pen, the New York Islanders will visit the Pittsburgh Penguins in a battle of undefeated, high-powered Eastern clubs looking to seize early control of the red-hot Metropolitan Division.

Oh, and the Boston Bruins should stop the bleeding. They'll get a peewee team Saturday afternoon. 

The Pylon

Three games into his NHL career, Liam O'Brien has plenty of learning to do with regard to life, hockey and most of all, who to stick out his tongue at.

The undrafted Washington Capitals forward has defied the odds with regard to his hockey career, but his most impressive feat to date is surviving Sharks enforcer John Scott after this complete lapse in judgement. 

(Courtesy: CSN)

That grin isn't smug. That's deep, deep regret. 

Parting shots

1) With four wins in five games, P.K. Subban and the Canadiens are clearly not fartin' around in the Atlantic.

2) Benoit Pouliot and Mark Fayne owe Jim Corsi, Vic Ferrari and everyone involved in trail blazing #fancystats a bottle of the good stuff.

3) The Kings are ruthless in giving Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau and the rest of those poor Sharks hope on opening night.

4) It'll be mighty difficult for the Avalanche to defy analytics with Calvin Pickard in net. Could Martin Brodeur play under Patrick Roy?

5) Speaking of analytics, TSN's Ryan Rishaug reports the winless Oilers, who have given up 15 goals at even strength, own the league's fourth-best Corsi rating at 55 percent. If that's not the greatest indictment on super stats, we don't know what is. 

6) John Gibson needs to play games - whether it's with Anaheim or Norfolk.

7) Stephane Robidas should have drawn Randy Carlyle's short straw, not Jake Gardiner. 

8) Alex Chiasson, Zach Parise and those who change name pronunciations along with their sweaters are all kinds of awful.

9) If you remove Edmonton from the Pacific, the division's combined record is 16-5-2. 

10) Being a father has looked pretty good on Rick Nash.