Familiar? Florida Panthers select a first-round center from Finland: Anton Lundell

Anybody up for another Aleksander Barkov?

Bill Zito, the Florida Panthers’ new general manager who perhaps had that idea in mind, selected Anton Lundell on Tuesday night with the 12th pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.

Lundell, 19, is a center from Finland, just like NHL All-Star Barkov, who was the Panthers’ first pick (second overall) in 2013. Lundell is known for his powerful and accurate shot, and he is considered NHL ready as he has been playing pro hockey in Finland. He had 10 goals and 18 assists in 44 games in Finland’s top pro league.

A 6-1, 185-pounder, Lundell also led Finland to gold medals at the 2019 and 2018 World Junior Championships. His father, Jan, was a pro goalie in Finland for 16 years.

“Playing in Finland’s top pro league for three years as a teenager, Anton has developed into a highly talented two-way forward,” Zito said. “He is a responsible, cerebral player who possesses great hockey sense.”

Lundell continues a trend of star players from Finland as six of them have been drafted among the top five players in just the past four years.

Zito, from his days as a sports agent, has plenty of experience in Finland. He represented several hockey stars from that country, including Kimmo Timonen, Tuuka Rask and Antti Niemi.

Florida nearly had a shot at center Cole Perfetti, the fourth-ranked prospect (in several mock drafts) who fell to No. 10 and the Winnipeg Jets.

Once he was gone, however, it became quickly apparent that Lundell would be the target.

The early part of Tuesday’s draft had some memorable moments, such as Ontario native Alex Trebek — the host of Jeopardy! — announcing the third selection: winger Tim Stutzle, who was taken by the Ottawa Senators. Trebek set up the announcement as if it were a Jeopardy! category.

Stutzie is a native of Germany, and that’s trendy. This year’s NHL MVP and scoring leader is another German native, Leon Draisaitl, and Germany won an Olympic silver medal in 2018.

The draft’s first pick — as expected — was winger Alexis Lafreniere, who went to the New York Rangers. He is considered the NHL’s best prospect since Connor McDavid in 2015.

Center Quinton Byfield, who has great size at 6-4 and 215 pounds, went second to the Los Angeles Kings. He became highest-drafted black player in NHL history.

Ottawa, which has three first-rounders, made news again by taking the first American in this draft, doing so by grabbing defenseman Jake Sanderson with the fifth pick. He will play for the University of North Dakota this coming season.

Minutes before the draft began, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that next season will likely start Jan. 1, three months later than usual but understandable given the coronavirus pandemic delay this year.

THIS AND THAT

▪ This year’s draft will conclude Wednesday with rounds two through seven. The Panthers, who have traded defensemen Mike Matheson and Josh Brown in this offseason, might be looking for depth at that spot.

▪ Free agency begins Friday, and the Panthers have $21.7 million in cap space, the seventh-most in the league. The biggest free agents the Panthers might want to retain are wingers Mike Hoffman and Evgenii Dadonov.

▪ Defensemen from other teams the Panthers might pursue include Torey Krug (Boston Bruins, age 29, 49 points in 61 games last season) and Alex Pietrangelo (St. Louis Blues, age 30, 52 points in 70 games).

This story was originally published October 6, 2020 at 9:21 PM.