At the beginning of this NHL season, there were prime candidates that were primed to take home the Calder Memorial Trophy for the league’s top rookie. Names that came to mind were Lucas Raymond of Detroit, Moritz Seider of Detroit, Trevor Zegras of Anaheim, and Cole Caufield of Montreal.
However, one of the newcomers that has been challenging the aforementioned individuals for the NHL’s honor for rookie of the year, has been residing in the Sunshine State, for the Florida Panthers.
Anton Lundell at the moment is just 20 years old. However, he has already made a surprising impact on a Stanley Cup contending squad. Bill Zito, the general manager of the Florida Panthers, quickly made his impact with the current state of the roster when he was hired.
Several of his acquisitions like Carter Verhaeghe, Radko Gudas, Anthony Duclair, Sam Bennett and Sam Reinhart have all been able to fit in with the team’s mainstays. Lundell belongs right into that list of players that have come to Florida and flourished.
Unlike many of the aforementioned players I mentioned above, Lundell wasn’t acquired through a trade or a free agent signing but rather as a first-round draft choice. This is even more significant when knowing that this was Zito’s first draft selection in 2020.
Just like everything else, his decision to take Lundell turned into gold. It was a surprise to many that the young sensation from Finland fell to the Panthers at the number 12 selection, being that NHL.com ranked him as the third-best European skater in that year’s class.
Anton Lundell has been a success for the Florida Panthers.
Unlike other NHL hopefuls, Lundell had already been developing his game in pro hockey by the time he was 18 years old. While many played in major junior hockey, Lundell had produced great numbers for a youngster.
While playing in Finland’s top professional league, Liiga, for HIFK, he was able to rack up 10 goals and 18 assists for a total of 28 points in 44 games during the 2019-20 season.
After his first year in Liiga, as well as an extra 26 games during the 2020-21 season, in which he accumulated 25 points, Anton found himself as a training camp invitee for the Cats. It was there, where he showcased many of the traits that would give him the impetus to start in the NHL right away.
Through most of training camp he was centering the third line, being flanked by Frank Vatrano and Patric Hornqvist on the wings. By the time the preseason transitioned into the regular season a decision had to be made in the lineup by then-head coach Joel Quenneville.
The typical decision other teams most likely would have made was to send him down to the AHL and get a feel for the North American game. However, Quenneville decided to take a chance and keep Lundell on the opening night roster.
As it turns out, the supposed “risk” has actually become a blessing for the franchise. The young Finnish forward has been able to find a footing in the league rather easily and has also been able to establish his presence on the ice.
Lundell made his NHL debut in Florida’s first game of the season against the Penguins. Almost a week later, on October 19, against the rival Lightning, the rookie scored his first NHL goal. That moment soon became the spark that has allowed him to be productive on a stacked roster.
The Panthers have had superstars Jonathan Huberdeau and fellow countryman Aleksander Barkov for years, but management has struggled to put talent around the two studs. Scoring depth has always been one of the biggest problems as to why the team took forever to reach the step of becoming a formidable team.
Lundell has become one of the many solutions to that issue. In 57 games so far, Lundell has put up 16 goals and 25 assists for a total of 41 points.
That mark has placed him seventh among point totals for rookies and in the bottom of the top 10 for the Panthers’ top scorers. For most of the season he has been centering the third forward line. However, what makes him even more of a weapon is his versatility.
When needed, Lundell has been able to step into a top-six forward role and execute. When watching him play, the immediate comparison one can make is with his fellow teammate and Finland native, Aleksander Barkov.
They both have similar traits that make them elite talents. Contribution on the power play, killing penalties, possessing a slick shot, playing physical, and using their stick well on defense are all qualities that they share together.
When Andrew Brunette took over as interim head coach, the success continued for Lundell as well as the rest of the lineup. When you compare him to other rookies, Lundell landed in the best position possible.
Being surrounded with amazing talent like Huberdeau, Barkov, Aaron Ekblad, and Mackenzie Weegar, as well as newer acquisitions like Sam Bennett, Anthony Duclair and Carter Verhaeghe allows the rookie to flourish every night.
Since there is so much depth at every spot in the lineup, Lundell isn’t needed to play a gluttony of minutes. He is only getting 16 minutes of ice time a night.
Unlike other rookies, Lundell isn’t in a rebuilding situation. This means that he can play the game stress-free and just go out and play the way he knows he can. Being in a room with a good number of veterans in the locker room has also helped him mature as a professional in such a short amount of time.
The more he is in the lineup, the more he’ll grow as a player and with the team and since he is on a potential Stanley Cup team, it won’t be detrimental for the franchise to have him sit when needed. Fans could expect to see Lundell out of the lineup once in a while.
The center position has the most depth on the team so it wouldn’t be shocking for me to see him sit out for a few games here and there to keep him fresh. If you compare his situation to Lucas Raymond for instance, the Wings would hurt more from having him sit out rather than Lundell.
It also helps that Lundell can always pick up on things as time progresses since he isn’t thrust into that “franchise player” type role. Raymond has to pick up on the NHL game faster since he is projected to be a first-line player in the coming years.
This situation for both Lundell and the Panthers works out very well. And over the course of the season, there have been more pros than cons for “rushing” the prospect into the everyday lineup at the pro level.
Anton has so much potential and he is only scratching the surface of what he could become. Florida is seeing enormous progress out of him so early and he could have the highest ceiling of most youngsters in the NHL now.
Imagine what he could develop into when equipped with a full season of experience under his belt. The Panthers are a true Stanley Cup contender this year and if Lundell can continue his overall growth as well as his hot play, then the Panthers are going to be even more dangerous down the line and for many years to come.