It was announced today that the Flordia Panthers have signed forward Anton Lundell to a three-year entry-level contract. Lundell is a top prospect with the Panthers.
Happy Monday 🇫🇮
We’ve agreed to terms on a three-year, entry-level contract with Anton Lundell!
📝 » https://t.co/TETvlOMSy9 pic.twitter.com/kdY3be20OV
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) June 7, 2021
Anton Lundell Signs Entry-Level Contract
The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms with prospect Anton Lundell. Lundell is 19 years old, standing at 6’1″ 190 pounds. He was selected 12th overall in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. This season, Lundell played for HIFK in the Liiga, the top professional league in Finland. Lundell’s leadership qualities showed this year, as he was named team captain of a men’s team as a teenager.
Strong Production
Heading into the draft, some questioned whether or not Lundell had enough offensive upside to warrant a high pick. This season, however, he has seemingly eliminated these concerns with strong production in a tough league. In 26 games played, Lundell scored 16 goals and nine assists for a total of 25 points. This gave him a points-per-game average of 0.96. For reference, other Finnish superstars had similar production in their draft plus one seasons. Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes had a points-per-game average of 1.0 in his draft plus one season playing in the Liiga, yielding similar results to Lundell.
International Play
Not only did Lundell excel in league play this season, but he also was very solid and productive in international play as well. During the World Junior Championship this year, Lundell captained Team Finland. In seven games played, he scored six goals and four assists for 10 total points.
Lundell also appeared for Team Finland in the IIHF World Championship tournament this year. Here, he scored four goals and three assists for seven points in 10 games played. His team was ultimately be defeated by Team Canada in overtime of the Gold Medal game.
Does He Fit?
Lundell is a very high-end prospect, however, cracking the Panthers roster next season is not a guarantee for him. He should get a long look in training camp though. At the end of the day, his performance in camp should dictate if he makes the Panthers starting lineup for the 2021-22 season. Even if he doesn’t right away, the future seems bright. Signing him to a deal is the first step for NHL success.
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