I’m still here…with a quick one.
The dog days of (hockey) summer many times take a backseat to more pressing manners, but the excitement of a new season always finds a way to creep back in for me.
A week or so ago, Jameson Olive mentioned on a podcast that he was most interested in seeing the battle between Matt Kiersted, Max Gildon and John Ludvig at the Cats’ training camp and upcoming rookie tournament because he believes one of them will be in the mix for the seventh defenseman spot.
We saw a very small sample size of Kiersted (and I did like what I saw), I don’t know much about the other two.
While both Gildon and Ludvig are similar in size, over six feet and around 200 lbs, and play a similar style, Ludvig’s scouting report stuck out to me a bit more. Each site I read mentioned his physicality and responsibility in his own zone.
The one that got me most excited came from
Doppler Sports where they say the below:
“
Old-school defensive defenseman who can take care of his own zone. Upside for leagues that include shot blocked, hits and PIMs.”
Can you imagine? An “old-school defensive defenseman” that is good in the his zone, is physical, will block shots and has some snarl on the Florida blue line? It’s like…exactly what we’ve been looking for.
Taken by the Cats in round 3 (#69 overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, it seems like Tallon found a diamond in the rough. According to
Litter Box Cats:
“
Many draftniks considered John Ludvig, who wasn’t selected in 2018, a huge reach when the Florida Panthers took him in the third round (69th overall) of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft after the defenseman produced 18 points in 58 games for the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League during his second season in the league.
Fortunately for the Panthers, it looks like former general manage Dale Tallon and his scouting staff knew exactly what they were doing when they scooped up the young defender. Ludvig, who was named team captain, blossomed offensively during his third WHL campaign, racking up an impressive 17 goals and 45 assists in 60 games before the remainder of the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 6-foot-1, 201-pounder ranked third among all defensemen in points and assists, while ranking fourth in goals. Ludvig was named to the Western Conference First All-Star team for his unexpected, head-turning performance.
After signing an entry-level contract with the Panthers on March 30, 2020, Ludvig eventually ended up with the AHL’s Syracuse Crunch. He recorded his first professional goal, the game-winner, on March 1 against the Rochester Americans, and finished the trunacted season with two goals and eight points in 13 games played.
Ludvig is among the eight defensemen who will take part in Florida’s upcoming development camp, which is slated to begin on September 10. Look for the 21-year-old to spent the 2021-22 season with the Charlotte Checkers to gain more professional experience after having his playing time limited, like most prospects, by the pandemic last season.
Prior to his breakout season in junior, Ludvig was viewed as more of a physical, defensive defenseman by most scouts, His final turn with Portland and smattering of games with Syracuse prove there is a lot more than initially met the eye with this potential gem of a selection.“
Now…the scoring and point production stuff is great, but I’m hoping Ludvig plays up his defensive side during the tournament/camp. I believe this would be the best route for him to get noticed and make an impact. Let’s face it, every defenseman these days seems capable of rushing the puck up and becoming a forward, but not every one is capable of, you know…actually playing defense and defending their own zone with solid, physical play.
If Ludvig can do this, and the coaching staff is smart enough to recognize it and start developing that style of play for the high level of the AHL/NHL, then forget the scoring. Get this guy ready to bring this type of game to the Panthers’ blue line and let guys like Ekblad, Forsling, etc., worry about point production from the backend.
If Zito isn’t going to go out and add to the blueline via league talent (which he probably can’t with the cap), then developing guys with Ludvig’s apparent skill set from within should be an absolute must.
Looking forward to seeing what he and the other defensive prospects look like in a couple weeks.
It’s been slow news from the Panthers camp, but I’ll be back next week with another blog.
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When does the Barky contract get done?
Go Panthers!
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