One can almost assume that the top picks of a given draft will make an instant jump to the NHL, but the picture gets muddier as you go down the rankings.
As the 10th pick of 2017, Owen Tippett might face an uphill battle of making an impact right away for the Florida Panthers.
MORE: Draft profile for Tippett
Panthers GM Dale Tallon told NHL.com that one or two players from the team’s development camp could very well be on their roster, and Tippett would be in the running.
“He’s going to get every opportunity,” Tallon said. “I don’t have any problem and [coach Bob Boughner] and our coaching staff don’t have any issues playing young guys. We’re building a team that’s going to be around for a long time and we’ll give him every opportunity to play this year.”
With the likes of Jaromir Jagr on the way out, the Panthers should expect to have room for young scorers to emerge. People seem excited about his skills in that regard:
Really excited to see Mr Owen Tippett in a #FlaPanthers uniform. Kid has an unreal release and great acceleration. Oh and also unreal hands. pic.twitter.com/fVBh0JtASP
— vektorious (@v3ktorious) June 24, 2017
Personally, it’s most exciting to see “Big Red” (very unofficial nickname) in those Panthers sweaters.
The 2017 #NHLDraft: Panthers Pick Owen Tippett #10 Overall https://t.co/A5Q7iMNBOm #THW #NHL #FlaPanthers pic.twitter.com/8bAdPgaegU
— The Hockey Writers (@TheHockeyWriter) June 24, 2017
Something to root for.