Florida Panthers AHL Affiliate Sign Six Players To Contracts
The Florida Panthers AHL Affiliate the Springfield Thunderbirds had a busy day on Friday. The T-Birds signed six players to contracts.
The Panthers added a lot of depth on Friday by signing QMJHL Right Wing Francois Beauchemin and 2013 4th round picks Center Matt Buckles and Goalie Evan Cowley to contracts. The Thunderbirds also extended the contracts of Forwards Ryan Horvat and Anthony Greco along with Defenseman Matt Mackenzie.
Francois Beauchemin (not the NHLer) played in the QMJHL last year for the Val d’Or Foreurs and Charlottetown Islanders. The 21 year old winger went undrafted but posted impressive stats last year with a total of 45 goals, 52 assists, combining for 97 points in 69 games with both teams. He was an overage player last year.
Matt Buckles was picked 98th overall by the Panthers in 2013. Buckles attended Cornell University for four seasons posting 29 goals and 18 assists in his 118 game college career. When the Panthers sent Buckles to Springfield at the end of Cornell’s season last year, Buckles lit it up scoring 3 goals and 4 assists in 9 games played.
Evan Cowley was picked 92nd overall by the Panthers in 2013. Cowley like Buckles went to college for 4 years, only attending the University of Denver. One of the top goalie prospects in the Panther system, Cowley was the backup goalie to Tanner Jaillet during Denver’s run to the NCAA Men’s Ice Hockey Championship during his senior year in 2016-17. Cowley’s best year was in 2016-17 as he posted an incredible 0.955 save percentage and a 1.13 GAA with a 5-2-0 record in just 11 games. Cowley along with fellow goalie prospect Sam Montembeault will battle it out for the future #1 goalie position.
Ryan Horvat signed a PTO with the Panthers last year but was quickly released. However, the Springfield Thunderbirds gave him a chance. In 47 games with Springfield, he posted 5 goals and 12 assists. Horvat has never been known for his scoring ability, but known for his physical play. Horvat was tied for third on the team in fights last year with 4 fights. Horvat posted 73 PIM last year too.
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Anthony Greco first ended up on the Cats radar at development camp. The Panthers signed Greco to an AHL contract and he performed admirably for a 4th line AHLer. He scored 16 goals and 15 assists in 74 games. The Thunderbirds made a wise choice in bringing back Greco with those numbers.
Matt Mackenzie is a career AHLer. The former Buffalo Sabres draft pick ended up in Springfield last year. Mackenzie posted 4 goals and 8 assists with the T-Birds in 38 games. He is a wise choice for defensive depth as Mackenzie Weegar and Ian McCoshen look to make the next jump into the NHL.
I don’t expect a lot from these guys, in terms of making the Panthers roster. However, they will provide a lot of depth for Springfield.