Panthers' Ekblad positive he can play in NHL now

Aaron Ekblad had a summer but it wasn't much of an offseason for him. The first pick of the 2014 NHL Draft had a development camp with the Florida Panthers, a Hockey Canada national junior evaluation camp, and he's currently with other Panthers prospects at a rookie tournament hosted by the Nashville Predators.

However, Ekblad told the Panthers website the end goal is what he's focused on, and that's playing in the NHL this season.

"I have my own expectations of myself," Ekblad said. "I have goals that I set for myself that I keep to myself. I hold myself accountable for those goals. My expectations are high. I have high standards for myself. It's going to help me put myself in a good position this year."

Scouts certainly are high on Ekblad; he is No. 6 on the NHL.com Top 60 prospect rankings.

For more on Ekblad's thoughts with training camp on the horizon, click here.