Brady Keeper said he was almost left speechless after hearing the news this morning.
Just over a week after putting pen to paper on his two-year, entry-level contract, the 22-year-old defenseman will make his NHL debut when the Florida Panthers continue their final road trip of the season against the last-place Ottawa Senators on Thursday night at Canadian Tire Centre.
Panthers' Keeper Set to Make NHL Debut in Ottawa
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3/28/19 Morning Skate
By
Jameson Olive
FloridaPanthers.com
"It's really exciting to play in my first NHL game here," said Keeper, who has been practicing with the team since March 19. "I think I'm ready to go and really excited for the opportunity… I've got no words to explain it. It's really exciting for me and my family. I'm just really excited."
A native of Cross Lake, Manitoba -- a reserve of roughly 8,000 located around eight hours north of Winnipeg -- Keeper is the first member of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation to make it to the NHL.
"He's the pride of his community," Panthers coach Bob Boughner said. "I think probably he has a sense of responsibility, which is great. There's going to be a lot of people watching him tonight. It's a dream come true for a kid that's probably made it up against a lot of odds."
In his debut, Keeper will play alongside MacKenzie Weegar on the team's third-pairing.
"I couldn't be more happy for him," Weegar said. "It'll be a fun night for him. I'm happy he could play his first game in Ottawa, my home town. He knows what he's good at. Keep it simple. Just enjoy it, have fun out there and enjoy the environment. That's really just it -- have fun."
It was only two seasons ago that Keeper, undrafted and a relatively unknown commodity among NHL circles, was fine-tuning his game in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. In four seasons in juniors, he posted 133 points (52 goals, 81 assists) with the Opaskwayak Cree Nation Blizzard.
In 2016-17, he was named the MJHL's top defenseman and most valuable player.
"The journey? I guess it's been a tough one, coming right from Cross Lake," said Keeper, who will have lots of family in attendance tonight. "It's been a tough upbringing to come here and play in the NHL, but I'm excited to be here… My dad's the reason why I'm here. I'm really thankful for my dad and my parents."
For the past two seasons, Keeper has been at the University of Maine, where he registered 13 goals and 31 assists in 77 games before signing with the Panthers as a free agent. In his final collegiate campaign, he led all Black Bears defensemen goals (7), assists (15) and points (22).
"I think it shows that if you put in the hard work and stay away from the bad stuff that you can do anything you want in life," Keeper said. "It just shows that even coming from a town of 8,000 people like Cross Lake, you can do whatever you want to do in life."
Carolina forward Micheal Ferland, who was previously the only other member of the Cree nation currently competing in the NHL, wished Keeper good luck in his debut earlier today via Twitter.
"Good luck tonight @BradyKeeper proud of you buddy," Ferland's message read.
With Keeper on the blue line, the Panthers will look to snap out of a three-game skid in which they've allowed a combined 20 goals in losses to Boston, Toronto and Montreal. In that span, most of the damage has come in the first two periods, where Florida is being outscored 16-4.
Frank Vatrano was the only one to find the back of the net for the Panthers in Tuesday's 6-1 loss to the Canadiens. In his second season with Florida, the 25-year-old winger has reached career-highs in goals (23), assists (15), points (38), shots (197) and average ice time (14:47).
Vatrano's goal, which cut the deficit to 5-1 at 1:35 of the third period, came on the power play - a familiar sight for the Panthers. Entering tonight's matchup with the second-ranked unit in the NHL at 27.4 percent, Florida has lit the lamp with the extra attacker in 11 of its last 12 games.
Despite sitting in last place in the Atlantic Division, the Senators (27-43-6) have been showing some fight down the stretch, winning four out of their last six contests. During that run, they have surrendered two-or-fewer goals three times, including a 4-0 win over Buffalo on Tuesday.
"I thought the guys all fought really hard, especially at the end, so that kind of shows the chemistry and togetherness that has developed here,"
Senators interim head coach Marc Crawford told reporters after shutting out the Sabres
.
After shipping out many of their top players, such as Matt Duchene, Ryan Dzingel and Mark Stone, at the trade deadline in February, Ottawa is now lead primarily by its youth. Leading the team in scoring is 22-year-old defenseman Thomas Chabot, who has 52 points in 64 games.
Brady Tkachuk, who was the fourth-overall pick in the 2018 draft, has a team-high 19 goals.
The Panthers (33-32-12) have gone 2-1-0 against the Senators this season, winning the first two games by a combined score of 12-6. In their last meeting on March 3, Ottawa won 3-2.
"There's obviously going to be some nerves," Boughner said of Keeper's debut. "You can see he's got some skill to his game. He's good with the puck out there in practice. Once his nerves settle in, I think he's going to be absolutely fine."
NOTES
-- Aleksander Barkov leads the Panthers with 88 points (34 goals, 54 assists), needing just six more to match Pavel Bure's franchise record for points in a single season (94). The 23-year-old centers paces the NHL in scoring since Feb. 17, posting 15 goals and 20 assists in 21 games.
-- Aaron Ekblad leads the Panthers in average ice time per game (23:36), while also pacing the club's defensemen and ranking tied for eighth among NHL blueliners in goals (13). The 23-year-old enters tonight's matchup with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over his last 17 games.
-- Evgenii Dadonov has registered 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) over his last 11 games. The 30-year-old winger ranks third on the team in goals (25), while also sitting fourth in assists (38) and points (63). Since 2017-18, he has recorded a team-leading 39 even-strength goals.
-- Mike Hoffman leads the Panthers with a career-high 35 goals. Of those scores, 17 have come on the power play, which are the tied for the third-most in the NHL this season. The 29-year old winger has notched 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) over his last 22 games.
-- Jonathan Huberdeau ranks second on the Panthers in scoring with a career-high 84 points (25 goals, 59 assists). His 59 assists are the most in a single season in franchise history and also rank 10th in the NHL during the 2018-19 campaign.
-- Florida's all-time leader for points by a defenseman in a single season, Keith Yandle ranks first among the team's blueliners in both points (58) and assists (49). Additionally, his 38 points on the power play also stand as a franchise record and rank third in the NHL this season.
-- Vincent Trocheck has notched four points (one goal, three assists) over his last five games.
GEICO GOALIE MATCHUP OF THE GAME
Roberto Luongo (15-16-4, 3.19 GAA, .897 SV%) vs. Anders Nilsson (13-18-1, 3.04 GAA, .907 SV%)
Only a week removed from a stellar 32-save performance against Arizona on March 21, Luongo will return to the crease against the Senators. The 39-year-old has helped the Panthers earn a point in six of his last nine starts, going 3-3-3 with a .903 save percentage. In his career against Ottawa, he owns a 16-17-1 record with a 2.77 goals-against average and .918 save percentage.
After backing up Craig Anderson in each of the last three games, Nilsson is expected to return to Ottawa's net against the Panthers. The 29-year-old has posted a 3-2-0 record over his last five starts with a .925 save percentage and one shutout. In his career against the Panthers, he's gone 3-1-0 with a 1.95 goals-against average, .938 save percentage and one shutout.
PROJECTED LINEUP (UNCONFIRMED)
Forwards
Jonathan Huberdeau - Aleksander Barkov - Evgenii Dadonov
Mike Hoffman - Vincent Trocheck - Jayce Hawryluk
Frank Vatrano - Henrik Borgstrom - Denis Malgin
Dryden Hunt - Riley Sheahan - Troy Brouwer
Defense
Keith Yandle - Aaron Ekblad
Mark Pysyk - Josh Brown
MacKenzie Weegar - Brady Keeper
Goalies
Roberto Luongo
Sam Montembeault
Scratches: Colton Sceviour, Jamie McGinn, Ian McCoshen, Mike Matheson, James Reimer
Injured Reserve: Derek MacKenzie (shoulder)
RECENT TRANSACTIONS
- March 18: The Panthers signed D Brady Keeper to a two-year, entry-level contract.
- March 15: F Colton Sceviour was activated from the injured reserve list.
- March 8: G Sam Montembeault's emergency conditions of his recall were terminated.
- March 1: D Riley Stillman was loaned to Springfield (AHL).
HOW TO WATCH
When:Thursday, March 28, 7:30 p.m.
Where:Canadian Tire Centre - Ottawa, ON
TV: Fox Sports Florida
Stream:
HERE
Florida Panthers Radio Network:560 WQAM (Dade/Broward); 640 WMEN (Palm Beach); 100.3 WCTH (Florida Keys); 1370 WAXE (Treasure Coast)
Watch Party:Thanks to the new "Territory on Tap" program, every road game now offers a chance for a watch party in South Florida! To see which local bars and restaurants have drink specials and giveaways for tonight's game,
please visit the official "Territory on Tap" page!