The Florida Panthers have announced that they have signed Union College goaltender Colin Stevens to an entry level contract. More from the Florida Panthers press release:
Florida Panthers Executive Vice President and General Manager Dale Tallon announced today that the club has agreed to terms with G Colin Stevens on an entry-level contract.
“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Colin,” said Tallon. “He attended our development camp this summer and performed very well. Our scouts have followed Colin’s development closely this season and look forward to his contributions to our organization.”
Stevens, 21, has played in 90 games with Union College (2011-2015), posting a 53-24-6 record. The senior goaltender has posted a 16-15-0 mark with a .920 save percentage and 2.31 GAA this season.
The Niskayuna, New York, native won the NCAA hockey championship with Union College in 2014. During the 2013-2014 season, he ranked tied for first among NCAA netminders in wins (28), second in shutouts (6), seventh in GAA (2.05) and ninth in save percentage (.929). Stevens was also named a 2014 NCAA Second-Team All American.
As a huge fan of Union College, I can tell you a lot about Colin Stevens. He’s got nice size, as he’s 6’2″ and roughly 185 pounds. He’s left handed. He isn’t the quickest or the most agile goalie, but his positioning is very good. He’s an extremely competitive goalie who can carry his team at times. Most of all, Colin Stevens is a winner.
The 21-year old Stevens is a great fit for the Florida Panthers for several reasons. First of all, the Panthers don’t have many young goalies, so adding depth to the four backstops already there just helps the organization’s cause. Stevens gives them a nice young goalie to develop in their system. Secondly, Stevens gives the Florida Panthers a proven winner at the college level that could thrive in the NHL when starting goaltender Roberto Luongo’s time in Florida is done. It’s no surprise that the Panthers have done better since they signed veteran defenseman and Stanley Cup Champion Willie Mitchell and his winning pedigree.
The Panthers are still a very inexperienced team that doesn’t really know what it takes to win yet, though a playoff appearance would do them well. While Stevens obviously hasn’t had success in the NHL yet, he has won an NCAA championship, which is a solid confidence booster for any college free agent.
The way the Panthers play, they don’t necessarily need an elite goalie to be a Stanley Cup contender. Their defensive core is very solid with Aaron Ekblad of course being the headliner along with a young supporting cast, including Dmitry Kulikov, Erik Gudbranson, and Alex Petrovic. Add in Mitchell and Brian Campbell as veteran leaders and you have a well-balanced defense that has a ton of room to grow. Their offense should continue to move in the same direction with cogs like Alexsander Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau, and Nick Bjugstad.
With the potential of the supporting cast that the Florida Panthers boast, Stevens could be the steady, calming presence in net that the Panthers need to make some noise in the coming years.
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