Florida Panthers sign Top Draft Pick Erik Gudbranson to Entry-Level contract –NHL offseason Update
Florida Panthers added their name to the list of National Hockey League (NHL) teams which have signed their top 2011 entry draft picks to an entry-level contract as they reached an agreement with Erik Gudbranson on Saturday, July 16.
Florida Panthers' general manager, Dale Tallon, is confident in their choice to have signed Gudbranson to a three-year entry-level contract, and feels he really can make a difference in the struggling Eastern Conference team.
“We’re really excited and really proud. He was the first pick of the new regime, and he was a great pick, a great kid’’, Tallon said after the deal was made official. “It’s great to have this done with. The business side is a part of it, and you have to
deal with it. It worked out the way we wanted it. It would have been nice for him to play for us last year, but I’d rather have him at 26 than at 18. We’re delighted and excited. He’s the real deal, a big piece of the puzzle’’.
If Gudbranson is able to make it out of their training camp which starts in September, and can prove he is NHL ready, than it would not be surprising to see him on the top Florida line-up when the new season starts.
Picked third overall during round-one by Florida, Gudbranson has been playing mostly in Canadian hockey leagues. During the 2009-2010 season, the 19-year-old played with Kingston Frontenacs in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), in which he potted 23 points
(2 goals, 21 assists) in 41 games, which makes him a high performing defenseman.
Last season with Kingston, the Ottawa, Ontario, Canada native, scored 34 points, 12 goals and 22 assists, along with a total of 105 penalty minutes in 44 games.
Not only that, the young defender also played for Canada for the second time, and led them to a silver medal this year in the World Junior championships.
These first three years will definitely be a proving time period for Gudbrandson who aspires to make his name in the NHL as one of the top defenseman.
With a 6-foot-four, 195lb intimidating frame, it is not a hard task at all.
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