Florida Panthers: Vincent Trocheck hoping to remain ultra-consistent

Following his first career all-star appearance this prior season, the explosive Vincent Trocheck is hoping to remain consistent entering the 2017-18 campaign.

The 24-year-old American centerman experienced a tremendous 2016-17 season producing at an all-star worthy rate. Vinny accumulated an impressive 23G and 31A for a total of 54 points, thus earning him a deserving selection to participate in the All-star game. In a year which saw star FLA players continuously plagued by injuries, Vincent Trocheck shocked many by being able to remain healthy throughout the course of the season as he played in all 82 regular season games.

The underperforming Panthers heavily depended on Vincent Trocheck as they granted him a large amount of minutes for a 2nd line center with an ATOI of 20:50 (increase of 3:04 minutes over the span of 1 year). The thriving Trocheck lived up to the high expectations as he was stellar offensively and defensively. He produced an unexpecting avalanche of 164 hits and an impactful 51 blocked shots. Vincent Trocheck led by example a he experienced an outstanding season with underachieving linemates in Reilly Smith and Jussi Jokinen on the 2nd line.

Trocheck continued to flourish under difficult circumstances such as countless injuries as he was FLA’s most reliable forward in an abysmal, forgettable 2016-17 season. He was productive on the Panthers 2nd power play unit amassing 12PP points on a struggling aspect of the Panthers’ game. His faceoff winning percentage was above 50%, as he continues to display steady signs of improvement in hopes of potentially acquiring a Selke Trophy.

In fact, he placed 48th in the voting for the Selke award so he’s finally receiving national recognition on a team which normally is overlooked nationally and around the league as well.

Playing alongside a talented, experienced winger in Radim Vrbata will help to elevate Trocheck’s game as he’ll receive more opportunities to score with Vrbata’s incredible passing ability (35 assists last season in Arizona). Both players will benefit off one another due to how similar they play: pass first, shoot second.

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They strongly rely on their impeccable vision in order to locate the open man for a scoring chance, as each player contributed over 30 assists on their respective teams in 2016-17.

Vincent is a highly valued member of the Florida Panthers as he’s viewed by the fans and organization as a model of consistency with his production continuing to increase on a yearly basis. He’s poised for another breakout campaign with proven line mate Radim Vrbata and a new system being implemented by upstart head coach Bob Boughner.

Trocheck will look to surpass last year’s career high of 54 points in an effort to lead FLA to a playoff berth and even be named to the All-Star game for a 2nd consecutive season.