Florida Panthers select Owen Tippett 10th overall

With the 10th pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the Florida Panthers select Owen Tippett from the Mississauga Steelheads.

The Cats decided to go “old school” and take Owen Tippett from the OHL. Owen is a winger who has a shoot-first mentality. With an eye for goal, Tippet is known for finding the back of the net with ease. The Panthers have struggled in the scoring department for years and decided to address that issue in tonight’s draft.

In 60 games played, Owen tallied 44G, 31A, and 75 points all together. He was a big part of the Steelheads run to the OHL Finals. Unfortunately, they’d lose in 5 games to the Erie Otters. A little video to watch of Tippett down below:

His style however, is very simple. He wastes no time when the puck is on his stick, as he is known for his quick release. “Get it, shoot it” is how I would best describe Owen. While this is something you’d like from the youngster, Tippett will need to learn how to share the puck more efficiently, if he is going to round out his game.

While his offensive game is solid, it’s his defensive game that will need work. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll step into the NHL next year, and another year of junior would do good for Owen. There is no sense of rushing him into the lineup right away, as we want Tippett to fully develop.

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Overall, some fans would have preferred Vilardi, Necas, or even Kostin. Dale though, decided to go a different route and truly believes in Owen’s upside. He’ll be a player who needs to be given a chance of course, but also time. With the right coaching from Boughner and Capuano, especially defensively, Tippett can no doubt strive under our new system.