In 2013, Florida selected Aleksander Barkov with the second overall pick in the NHL Draft. Since then, Barkov has evolved into the face of the franchise and the focal point of Florida's rising offense. FOX Sports Florida traveled to Finland this past offseason to provide viewers and fans with a better look at Florida's up-and-coming star.
In Helsinki, we learned about Finnish culture and their love for the sport and their national team. Barkov has been described as a "Finnish hockey god" by some of his Finnish teammates. Our second stop takes us to Barkov's birthplace of Tampere, which is considered the country's hockey capital. Former NHL player Mikko Leinonen brought Barkov's father, Alexander Barkov, to Tampere, where the elder Barkov learned the game while raising the young center. Fans will get to hear as Mikko describes the similarities between each of their games, including video of Barkov's father when he played for the local Battle Axe club.
Watch as the FOX Sports Florida crew spends a few days with Barkov at his lake house to learn about the local culture and customs. Barkov also brought us behind the scenes during his offseason workouts, including a must-see look at what makes him one of the top shootout finishers in the game. Barkov is finishing at a 53% rate compared to 31% for the rest of the league and has scored on 15 of his last 19 shootout attempts. Join host Jessica Blaylock on FOX Sports Florida and
FOX Sports GO
as we debut "Inside the Panthers: Aleksander Barkov," and make sure to follow
