In today's Baptist Health Practice Notebook, Juho Lammikko is back with the Panthers after spending some time overseas, Anton Stralman is reunited with an old friend on the blue line, and more!
SUNRISE, Fla. - A familiar face made his debut at practice on Friday morning at BB&T Center.
Coming over from Finland, forward Juho Lammikko joined his teammates - some new, some old - on the ice for the first time since signing a one-year, two-way contract with the Panthers back on Nov. 24.
NOTEBOOK: After Stint Overseas, Lammikko Excited to be Back with Panthers
1/22/21 Practice
"Obviously, a little bit of a delay with protocol," coach Joel Quenneville said of Lammikko's arrival. "I liked how he skated. That's the first time I've seen him live. I liked his enthusiasm out there. I think he's got good instincts. I'm looking forward to it. The one thing I wasn't sure about was how he skated, and I was happy with the way he moved. He's got some pace to him. He's got a long stride. He's a big guy."
Originally selected by the Panthers in the third round (65th overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Lammikko last suited up in South Florida during the 2018-19 campaign. In 40 games that season, the 24-year-old tallied six points (all assists), 45 hits and 21 blocked shots while averaging 10:56 of ice time per contest.
On Nov. 11, 2019, Lammikko set a Panthers rookie record with four assists in a 7-5 win at Ottawa.
"I haven't really skated in a couple weeks, but [I felt] pretty good," Lammikko, who stands 6-foot-2 and 191 pounds, said of his first day back on the ice after quarantining. "I just tried to work hard and stuff."
After his rookie season wrapped up, Lammikko said that he felt like his career was in a bit of a rut and needed a "new start," opting to head back home to Finland to spend the 2019-20 season with Karpat in Liiga. While there, he said that he was able to regain a lot of his confidence while playing a top-six role.
Finishing tied for sixth in the league in scoring, he produced 51 points (22 goals, 29 assists) in 57 games.
"It's a great organization there with Karpat," said Lammikko, who had his team sitting in first place before the season was shut down due to COVID-19. "I got a lot of ice time and played first-line minutes and on the power play and stuff. It was a fun year. Everything seemed to go well before the pandemic."
Moving from Liiga to the KHL, Lammikko began this season in Russia with Metallurg Magnitogorsk, recording eight points (six goals, two assists) in 22 games. But once he found out there could be an opening for him on the Panthers, he couldn't help but leap at the opportunity to return to the NHL.
"There was time to come back right now," Lammikko said. "I was happy to come here."
While it's unclear exactly when he'll get back into the lineup, Lammikko spent this morning's practice skating on a line with Noel Acciari and Brett Connolly. Through two games this season, the left side of that fourth line has been fluid, with both Ryan Lomberg and Vinnie Hinostroza getting one game there.
"I think everybody's going to get an opportunity to play at some point this season," Quenneville said.
MISC. NOTES
-- Anton Stralman has already had a few defensive partners this season, spending the first two games of the season paired with Keith Yandle and Riley Stillman, respectively. Looking ahead, there might be a third name added to that list. During today's practice, he was paired with fellow veteran Radko Gudas, who he briefly played with during their shared time together with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2014-15.
"I only played half a season or so with him, but I really like the guy," Stralman said. "He's got a great little family, too. It's fun to have him back. He's a guy that always brings a great attitude and hard work."
-- With so much time in between games, the Panthers will hold an instrasquad scrimmage tomorrow at BB&T Center. After that, players will be given an off day on Sunday before practicing and then traveling to Columbus on Monday. Sitting at 2-0-0, their next game will be against the Blue Jackets on Tuesday.
"It is what is it," Stralman said of the ever-changing schedule. "It's out of our control. We just have to deal with it on a day-to-day basis. That's really all you've got to do. You can't put a lot of focus on it. You've just got to move on and have fun. I think everybody's just excited being back playing hockey."
-- The Panthers once again spent a good portion of practice working on special teams. With a power-play goal in each of the first two games of the season, the top unit of Keith Yandle, Aaron Ekblad, Jonathan Huberdeau, Aleksander Barkov and Patric Hornqvist is continuing to develop chemistry each session.
"It's been good," Ekblad said of the team's work on the man advantage. "We've scored a few goals, a couple big goals here that have helped us stay in and take advantage of games. I'm definitely happy with the way that it's going and happy to continue to learn."
FRIDAY'S PRACTICE LINES
Forwards
Carter Verhaeghe - Aleksander Barkov - Anthony Duclair
Jonathan Huberdeau - Alex Wennberg - Patric Hornqvist
Frank Vatrano - Eetu Luostarinen - Owen Tippett
Juho Lammikko - Noel Acciari - Brett Connolly
Defensemen
MacKenzie Weegar - Aaron Ekblad
Radko Gudas - Anton Stralman
Gustav Forsling - Anton Stralman
Markus Nutivaara - Gustav Forsling
Keith Yandle - Noah Juulsen
Goalies
Sergei Bobrovsky
Chris Driedger
Philippe Desrosiers
Group 2:Ryan Lomberg, Vinnie Hinostroza, Aleksi Heponiemi, Mason Marchment, Riley Stillman, Brady Keeper, Kevin Connauton and Philippe Desrosiers (he participated in both groups).
