[Florida Panthers Tour] Carter Verhaeghe

Carter Verhaeghe was born on August 14, 1995, in Toronto, Canada. He is a forward for the Florida Panthers, primarily playing as a center or left wing. Drafted 82nd overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013, his path to the NHL was marked by trades to the New York Islanders in 2015 and later to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2017, where he made his NHL debut on October 3, 2019. After honing his skills in the AHL with a standout 34-goal, 82-point season for Syracuse, Verhaeghe secured a spot with the Lightning and played a role in their 2020 Stanley Cup victory. Since joining the Panthers, he has emerged as a clutch performer, setting a franchise playoff record with 5 points in a single game during the 2022 First Round against Washington, including an overtime series-winner, and scoring a career-high 42 goals in the 2022-23 regular season. His postseason heroics continued with another overtime winner in Game 7 of the 2023 First Round against Boston, and he broke the Panthers’ all-time playoff goals record with 11 goals in both the 2023 and 2024 playoffs, playing a pivotal role in their 2024 Stanley Cup triumph.