St. Martin carrying confidence into offseason after big year in WHL

FORT LAUDERDALE – No reason to have nerves this time around.

Arriving in Fort Lauderdale for his second development camp with the Florida Panthers, forward Hunter St. Martin has all the confidence in the world, and for good reason.

Getting an early taste of the Panther way last summer, the 2024 sixth-round pick (193rd overall) took his learnings from the back-to-back Stanley Cup champions and turned that invaluable experience into a career-high season with the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL.

“I think it all started in the offseason last year,” St. Martin said on Monday following the first day of camp at Baptist Health IcePlex. “Getting the experience here and then going to mini-camp, getting some confidence, learning a lot from these guys who had just won the Stanley Cup and bringing that back to the Medicine Hat team.”

Starting the 2024-25 season off strong, an early sign of what would become a massive year, St. Martin inked a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers in October.

“It was a dream come true to earn that contract and kind of get my foot in the door here,” said the 20-year-old. “Obviously it gave me a lot of confidence too. They put their trust in me, and I need to live up to that expectation and in that, just getting better every day and getting stronger and getting ready to make the transition to pro.”

Riding the wave of confidence, St. Martin tallied 59 points and ranked second on Medicine Hat with 39 goals, both career-highs.

Not stopping there, the goal-scoring winger recorded 17 points (seven goals, 10 assists) on the way to the Medicine Hat Tigers winning the WHL Championship and making it the Memorial Cup.

Picking up on the playing style from the Panthers, St. Martin also credits learning the winning mentality from the big club in helping the Tigers have a successful season.

“Just how they carried themselves and the leadership in that locker room,” said St. Martin. “Going into Medicine Hat, we had aspirations to win a championship, and we did. I knew I had to be a leader in that, so learning a lot of that stuff just watching the guys interact and hearing stuff about what they did to help win the Stanley Cup. I think I brought that back to my team, and it helped us win the championship.”

With a championship and a big year under his belt, St. Martin enters this year’s camp no longer a new draft pick, but a leader amongst prospects.

“It's a different thing in this camp,” said St. Martin. “I was kind of more shy, I didn't really know what it was like. This year, there's only a couple guys who have kind of been around, so you have to step up and know the drills and just be a leader. I'm really excited to do that.”

The Panthers will continue camp at Baptist Health IcePlex on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:30 a.m. to noon, and then hold a scrimmage on Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

All sessions are free and open to the public.