PROSPECTS: Plenty of Panthers Draftees at the 2022 World Juniors

The Panthers will be well represented at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.
With the tournament slated to begin on Sunday in Red Deer and Edmonton, Alberta, the organization will have six prospects suiting up for their respective nations: Mackie Samoskevich (USA), Ty Smilanic (USA), Justin Sourdif (Canada), Kasper Puutio (Finland), Elliot Ekmark (Sweden) and Jakub Kos (Czechia).
Of those six prospects, four were drafted in 2020, while two were selected in 2021.

"It means the world to me," Samoskevich, who the Panthers took with the 24th overall pick back in July, said of his first trip to the World Juniors. "It's the tournament that you grew up watching. You'd come home, sit on the couch and watch all these players that are now in the NHL. It's very special to me."
An epic battle for precious metals and bragging rights between the top hockey players under age 20 from around the world, the preliminary round of the World Juniors will split 10 teams into two groups.
Canada, Finland, Czechia, Germany and Austria are in Group A, while the United States, Russia, Sweden, Slovakia and Switzerland make up Group B. The top four teams in each group will advance to play in the quarterfinals on Jan. 2, with the semifinals then following on Jan. 4 and the medal games on Jan. 5.
The United States enters the tournament as defending champion after Spencer Knight, who was one of five Panthers prospects that appeared at the World Juniors in 2021, turned aside all 34 shots he faced in a 2-0 win over Canada in a thrilling gold-medal game between two of hockey's all-time powerhouses.
Is another future member of the Panthers poised to capture gold at this year's tournament? With six prospects spread out over five counties, the odds are certainly looking pretty good.
For a closer look at those prospects and a full broadcast schedule, continue reading below.

PANTHERS PROSPECTS

Mackie Samoskevich (USA):One of five players from the University of Michigan that will be competing at the World Juniors, the 19-year-old forward has notched 10 points (four goals, six assists) through the first 17 games of his freshman season with the Wolverines. Prior to joining the NCAA ranks, he recorded 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 36 games with Chicago in the USHL. Helping lead the Steel to the Clark Cup, he chipped in one goal and nine assists in eight playoff games during the team's championship run. Taken by the Panthers with the 24th overall pick in 2021, Samoskevich last donned the Red, White and Blue when he helped USA's U17 squad to a third-place finish at the Five Nations Tournament in 2018.

Ty Smilanic (USA):No stranger to the Stars and Stripes, the speedy 19-year-old forward spent two seasons fine-tuning his game with the USA Hockey National Team Developmental Program before taking his talents to Quinnipiac University. As a freshman in 2020-21, he played a very big role in helping the Bobcats reach the NCAA tournament by leading the nation's rookies with 14 goals in 29 games. Of those goals, four were game-winners. For his efforts, he earned a spot on the ECAC's All-Rookie Team and was a finalist for the ECAC's Rookie of the Year. Picking up right where he left off this season, the 2020 third-round pick has racked up 13 points -- including a team-high eight goals -- in 18 games as a sophomore.
Justin Sourdif (Canada): Turning a lot of heads at Canada's pre-tournament summer camp, the 19-year-old forward is set to compete internationally for the first time since the World U17 Hockey Challenge in 2018. Appearing in six games for Team Canada Red at that event, he tallied one goal and two assists. A model of consistency in the WHL, he's produced at nearly a point-per-game pace throughout his junior career with Vancouver, amassing 163 points (68 goals, 95 assists) in 168 regular-season contests. Serving as captain of the Giants this season, he currently leads the team in both points (29) and assists (21). A third-round pick in 2020, he inked a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers in September.
Kasper Puutio (Finland): Making his second straight trip to the World Juniors, the 19-year-old defenseman, along with fellow Panthers product Anton Lundell, helped Finland win bronze at the tournament in 2021. Lacing up his skates in seven games during that third-place run, he dished out a pair of assists. Currently in the midst of his second season in Liiga, he's already set new career-highs in both goals (3) and points (5) through 25 games with KalPa. Scooped up by Florida in the fifth round of the 2020 draft, he's manned Finland's blue line at international junior tournaments since his U16 days.
Elliot Ekmark (Sweden):Earning his first-ever invite to the World Juniors, the 19-year-old forward has been cutting his teeth against grown men in the SHL this season with Linkoping HC. Playing in 24 games, he's posted a goal and an assist while adjusting to the speed and physicality of the professional ranks. A seventh-round pick in 2020, he's previously played for Sweden in international tournaments at various levels, most recently scoring one goal in six games at the 2021 World Junior Summer Showcase in July.
Jakub Kos (Czechia): The youngest Panthers prospect competing at the World Juniors, the 18-year-old forward previously appeared at the U18 version of the event in 2021, registering a goal and an assist in five games. Bouncing between the junior, minor and professional ranks in Finland this season, the 2021 sixth-round pick has registered two assists in seven games with Ilves in Liiga. He's also appeared in four games with the team's U20 club, notching one goal and four assists. In a pre-draft showcase in August, he helped Czechia pick up wins over both Finland and Sweden at the U20 Four Nations Tournament.

BROADCAST SCHEDULE

All games will be broadcast on NHL Network in the United States and TSN and RDS in Canada.
Sunday, Dec. 26
Finland (Puutio) vs. Germany, 2 p.m. ET
Russia vs. Sweden (Ekmark), 4:30 p.m. ET
Czechia (Kos) vs. Canada (Sourdif), 7 p.m. ET
United States (Samoskevich, Smilanic) vs. Slovakia, 9:30 p.m. ET
Monday, Dec. 27
Austria vs. Finland (Puutio), 2 p.m. ET
Russia vs. Switzerland, 4:30 p.m. ET
Germany vs. Czechia (Kos), 7 p.m. ET
Sweden (Ekmark) vs. Slovakia, 9:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Dec. 28
Switzerland vs. United States (Samoskevich, Smilanic), 4:30 p.m. ET
Austria vs. Canada (Sourdif), 7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Dec. 29
Finland (Puutio) vs. Czechia (Kos), 2 p.m. ET
Slovakia vs. Russia, 4:30 p.m. ET
Canada (Sourdif) vs. Germany, 7 p.m. ET
Sweden (Ekmark) vs. United States (Samoskevich, Smilanic), 9:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, Dec. 30
Czechia (Kos) vs. Austria, 4:30 p.m. ET
Slovakia vs. Switzerland, 7 p.m. ET
Friday, Dec. 31
Germany vs. Austria, 2 p.m. ET
Switzerland vs. Sweden (Ekmark), 4:30 p.m. ET
Canada (Sourdif) vs. Finland (Puutio), 7 p.m. ET
United States (Samoskevich, Smilanic) vs. Russia, 9:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, Jan. 2
Quarterfinal 1, 2:30 p.m. ET
Quarterfinal 2, 5 p.m. ET
Quarterfinal 3, 7:30 p.m. ET
Quarterfinal 4, 10 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Jan. 4
Semifinal 1, 3 p.m. ET
Semifinal 2, 7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, Jan. 5
Third-place game, 4 p.m. ET
Championship game, 8 p.m. ET

FOLLOW ALONG

To stay on top of the World Juniors, follow @FlaPanthers and @IIHF on Twitter.