2017-18 Season Rewind: Jared McCann

SUNRISE, Fla. - Jared McCann is starting to come into his own.
In his second season since being traded from Vancouver to Florida, the former first-round pick entered this year's training camp squarely on the bubble for a roster spot, looking to lock down what appeared to be the only pivot position the Panthers had up for grabs.

With Aleksander Barkov and Vincent Trocheck firmly entrenched into the top two spots down the middle, and with captain Derek MacKenzie centering the fourth, that left McCann fighting with Nick Bjugstad and Denis Malgin for the role of the team's third-line center.
But McCann quickly turned that three-way tussle into a one-horse race during the preseason, showing off his big-league shot and speed with a hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sept. 28. Not long after that, the Panthers officially awarded the spot to McCann - a position he held for the majority of the 2017-18 campaign - and moved Malgin and Bjugstad to the wings.
In 68 games, McCann set new career marks in assists (19), points (28) and ice time (13:15).
"It's just a confidence builder," McCann said after cleaning out his locker at BB&T Center in April. "I've already played a lot of games and hopefully I'm going to play in my 200th next year. Moving forward, I'm just going to keep building and keep becoming a better player."
At just 22, McCann is one of the youngest players on the Panthers, but also isn't necessarily lacking experience. He has already suited up in 166 NHL games over parts of three seasons with Florida and Vancouver, notching 53 points (19 goals, 34 assists) and a plus-4 rating.
Already known for his offensive abilities, McCann said the biggest improvements he made this season were on the defensive side of the puck, where he posted a career-best 32 blocked shots and 39 takeaways. At 5-on-5, he started 51.9 percent of his faceoffs in the defensive zone.
"I feel like this season I took a lot of strides defensively," he said. "Next year, for me to be more confident as a player would be a big help for the team. Moving forward, I'm going to work on that over the summer, whether it's working on my shot, my skating or my offensive abilities."
With a big summer ahead of him, McCann will look to continue his upward trajectory in 2018-19.
"This summer's going to be huge for me," he said. "I'm going to work out hard and start training as soon as possible. I'm going to come back even better."

COOL STAT

When McCann was on the ice, a lot more good than bad happened for the Panthers.
With McCann on the ice at 5-on-5, the Panthers scored 29 goals and allowed just 21, giving him a GF% of 58 percent - the second-best mark on the team among skaters that played in at least 30 games this season and a big improvement over the 47.83 percent he posted in 2016-17.

BEST GAME

The Panthers had seven different players find the back of the net during a 7-2 win over the Ottawa Senators on March 20, but it was the third line of Jamie McGinn, Frank Vatrano and McCann that did most of the damage.
McCann and Vatrano each scored during the second period, while McGinn added an insurance goal in the third to put Florida up 7-2 with 7:52 left in regulation. With an assist on both Vatrano and McGinn's goals, McCann finished the night with a career-high three points.
For his efforts, McCann was named the game's second star.
"Those three guys tonight had a big game," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said after the win.

GOAL OF THE YEAR

McCann said he had trouble sleeping the night after scoring this goal.
After poking the puck past a defender in the neutral zone, McCann zoomed down the ice and scored off a wrist shot on the breakaway at 3:37 of the extra frame to propel the Panthers to a 3-2 overtime win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Feb. 27.
"I'm an Ontario kid, so to get [that goal] against Toronto was very special," McCann said.