[Florida Panthers Tour] Aaron Ekblad

Aaron Ekblad was born on February 7 in 1996. He was picked first by the Florida Panthers in 2014. The native of Windsor, Ontario, quickly proved his "Exceptional Player Status" right away. He got this status at 15, being the first OHL defenseman to skip age limits. He had a rookie season that won the Calder Trophy. He scored 12 goals and had 27 assists that season. He played 676 games for Florida. This is the longest any defenseman has played for the team. His time with the team ended with winning the 2024 Stanley Cup. This puts him among top players. He is the fifth No. 1 pick to do this. The others are Ovechkin, Stamkos, Modano, and MacKinnon.

He faced problems, like a lower-body fracture in 2021. But his eight-year contract, signed in 2016, showed mutual trust. This trust was rewarded when he led Florida's 2024 Cup run. From his record-setting debut as a teenager to lifting hockey's biggest prize, Ekblad's legacy is a key part of the Panthers' golden era.