The Little Engine That Could says it all. And I mean LITTLE.

Rocco Grimaldi made his NHL debut this week, and needless to say he did not look out of place. He was paired with Vincent Trocheck and converted defenseman Colby Robak on the fourth line for the first game, and got his feet wet with 6:11 of ice time. The 5'6", 160 lbs. speedster was very effective with his puck handling and forechecking. He has zipped through and around defenseman and shown great ice awareness with his passing.

It's hard not to notice Grimaldi and his diminutive stature, but he has no problem throwing his body around and getting into the dirty areas. He always keeps his feet moving and is very aware of his defensive responsibilities.

For a team that is offensively challenged, it is clear that Grimaldi is going to be a huge help down the road as he grows and matures into a full-time NHLer. In the blink of an eye the Panthers were down five starting forwards due to injury/sickness, causing the call ups of Trocheck and Grimaldi.

Chances are they will be sent back to San Antonio this weekend or early next week, but this experience is huge for Grimaldi and his confidence. He's had no hesitation in shooting the puck, and just missed scoring his first NHL goal on the 7 shots he's registered thus far.

Obviously head coach Gerard Gallant liked what he saw out of Grimaldi and his line after the first game. After getting 6:11 of ice time in the first game Grimaldi recorded 13:39 in each of the next two games. If the coach has that kind of confidence in a 21-year-old player that just arrived in the pros, that bodes well for the future.

Because he plays in Florida, it may take some time for the rest of the league to become familiar with Grimaldi's game. If he becomes the player GM Dale Tallon believes he can be, home and away fans will definitely come out to see this remarkable talent in person.

Every shift he makes the game hard on the opposition. He's a pest. He's a spark plug. He's creative. He's everything you want to see out of a home-grown prospect just coming into his own. One glance at a person that size makes it unbelievable that he could succeed at this level. But he has defied the odds at every level he's played, and now is no different. Could he be an even smaller version of Martin St. Louis? Time will tell.

It looks like the 33rd overall selection in the 2011 NHL Draft will be paying big dividends in the near future, and soon enough fans from around the league will be saying, "Did you see what that little guy did?"

Dan Spiegel...
Florida Panthers Media

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