Cats & Coffee: A New AHL Affiliate; NHL Draft, Free Agency Dates

Good morning and welcome to "Cats & Coffee," a weekly segment, presented by Koffee Kult, in which we serve up an exciting look at what's on deck for your Florida Panthers. Like our friends at Koffee Kult, this forecast serves up only the best -- so sit back, sip and enjoy our latest brew of news, notes and information.

The Florida Panthers have found their new farm team.
Bringing together the two southernmost franchises in their respective leagues, the Panthers announced a multi-year affiliation agreement with the AHL's Charlotte Checkers on Sept. 10.
"It's an exciting day for the Panthers and Checkers organizations," Panthers General Manager Bill Zito said in a release. "Building success and establishing a strong culture at the American Hockey League level is vital to the development of our young players."
"The Checkers have built a winning culture, culminating in a 2019 Calder Cup Championship. We feel that with this affiliation, our prospects will be in the right environment to grow and develop into National Hockey League players."
Charlotte has made five playoff appearances since joining the AHL in 2010, including a long and exciting run all the way to a Calder Cup Championship in 2019. A longtime affiliate of the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes, they've also qualified for the playoffs in each of the last three campaigns.
This new partnership marks the second time the Panthers have joined forces with an AHL affiliate in North Carolina, with the last being the Carolina Monarchs (1995-96 to 1996-97).
"We are very fortunate to have found a great partner in the Florida Panthers," Checkers Chief Operating Officer Tera Black said. "We feel confident that this relationship will allow us to continue producing a high-level product while providing a great environment for player development. We look forward to welcoming their staff to Charlotte as soon as possible."
Panthers Assistant General Manager Eric Joyce described the new affiliation as "unbelievable."
"We just hired Bill Zito as our new general manager. He's a champion in this league," Joyce said, referring to Zito's championship as general manager of the AHL's Cleveland Monsters in 2016. "The Charlotte Checkers are a champion in this league. It's going to be an unbelievable place for players for them to grow up as both players and people. Charlotte's a wonderful city."
To welcome our new AHL friends, give the Checkers a follow on Twitter by clicking

.

NHL DRAFT AND FREE AGENCY

It's time to mark your calendars… we have dates!
Last week, it was announced that the 2020 NHL Draft will kick off with Round 1 on Tuesday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m. ET. Then, Rounds 2-7 will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 7 beginning at 11:30 a.m. ET. All seven rounds of the draft will take place virtually and air on NBC Sports Network.
The Panthers will enter the draft with seven total selections, including the 12th overall pick.
If that wasn't exciting enough, things will ramp up even further just a few days later when new Panthers General Manager Bill Zito fires up the phone lines and really starts to wheel and deal when the NHL's free agency period officially bursts wide opens on Friday, Oct. 9 at 12 p.m. ET.
According to CapFriendly.com, Florida currently has a little over $20 million in cap space.
Stay tuned to @FlaPanthers on Twitter for updates throughout both the draft and free agency.

MYSTERY PUCKS

Who can resist the allure of the mystery puck?
In an effort to raise some offseason funds for the Florida Panthers Foundation, limited-edition "One Territory" mystery-signed pucks are currently available for purchase
HERE
. Autographs you could pull include Aleksander Barkov, Aaron Ekblad and Brian Boyle, just to name a few.
However, if you'd rather take the mystery completely out of the equation, a set of four pucks signed by Barkov, Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau and Joel Quenneville is up for auction
HERE
.
The auction for this star-studded package of pucks only runs through Sept. 15, so act fast!

STAY SAFE AND LOOK SHARP

Did you know that masks aren't just for goaltenders?
With the release of their new "Stay Safe" T-shirts, the Panthers are hoping to not only spread the word about good health practices during the COVID-19 pandemic, but also raise funds for the Florida Panthers Foundation's efforts to assist the local community in these difficult times.
All proceeds generated from sales of these mask-themed shirts will benefit the Foundation.
To make a purchase, please follow the link in the tweet below.

CATS CLIP OF THE WEEK

As a thank you to local healthcare heroes, the Panthers threw a well-deserved surprise party for 1,200 employees at Baptist Health South Florida's Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables last month.
"You never expect it, but it's very much appreciated," patient supervisor Michelle Plaza said. Check out interviews and highlights from the event below.

CATS IN THE COMMUNITY

TERRITORY TALK

Longtime Blue Jackets reporter and analytics superstar Alison Lukan joined this past week's episode of the Territory Talk podcast to discuss how the Panthers could look different under new General Manager Bill Zito. Plus, co-hosts Jameson Olive and Katie Gaus chat with Lukan about the Stanley Cup Playoffs, a potentially unheralded statistic and much, much more!
Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast
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COLD COFFEE (IN CASE YOU MISSED IT)

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JetBlue 2019-20 Season Rewind: Noel Acciari
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Panthers owner Vincent Viola has been named to the NHL's Executive Inclusion Council.
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The Cats surprised local healthcare heroes at Doctors Hospital last month.
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Vaulted: Roberto Luongo makes 57 saves against the Red Wings
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JetBlue 2019-20 Season Rewind: Jonathan Huberdeau
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The Panthers have joined the "Rally the Vote" voter registration coalition.
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The Panthers re-signed defenseman Brady Keeper to a one-year, two-way contract.
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The Panthers are now on Twitch!