Evan Nause feels like he took a big step forward this past week.
In addition to picking up a few new skills both on and off the ice at development camp, the 19-year-old defenseman signed his three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers on Friday.
"Development's camp been a blast so far," Nause said the day before that deal went down.
Originally selected by the Panthers in the second round (56th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft, Nause is coming off a breakout season in the QMJHL with the Quebec Remparts in which he led the team's blueliners with a career-high 46 points (eight goals, 38 assists) in 59 contests.
In the QMJHL playoffs, he handed out three assists in 12 games.
"The league is very offensive," Nause said of his first two seasons in the QMJHL. "There's a lot of talented players in it. The top-two lines are unbelievable. For me to try and shut those guys down every night, it's great for my defensive game, and great for my offensive game as well."
That same competitive attitude was evident at development camp, especially during a cooking competition that pitted groups of Cats prospects against each other in a test of culinary might.
"I think we got robbed," Nause smiled. "Our group definitely had the best tacos, for sure."
From being coached by Hall of Fame goalie Patrick Roy in juniors to a funny paddleboarding incident during development camp, check out the audio player below to hear more from Nause on the latest edition of the "Panthers Pipeline" podcast with Doug Plagens and Jameson Olive.
PROSPECTS: Nause talks D-Camp and paddleboarding on 'Panthers Pipeline'
