Veteran Hornqvist ‘means business when he’s on the ice.’ That’s key for the Panthers
As Riley Stillman sniped a puck past goaltender Philippe Desrosiers during the overtime portion of the Florida Panthers’ scrimmage on Tuesday, a voice could be heard bellowing across the ice.
“Yeah, Stiller! Save that stick!” Patric Hornqvist shouted to his teammate.
Hornqvist, the 34-year-old two-time Stanely Cup winner who the Panthers acquired in September, has only been on the ice with his team for four practices in training camp. He missed the first five after being deemed “unfit to play,” the NHL’s catch-all term in the age of COVID-19 for players unavailable for practice or games.
But he’s making his presence known early. In addition to his 238 career goals and 90 games worth of playoff experience, Hornqvist provides a veteran vocal presence to a roster that underwent a ton of turnover.
“He means business when he’s on the ice,” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said. “You could sense that right from the get-go here. His attitude was nice to see.”
That persona, in addition to his ability to still compete at a high level after a dozen NHL seasons, was a big reason the Panthers made it a purpose to acquire Hornqvist this offseason. He knows how to balance the intensity required on game day and being more easygoing off the ice.
“That’s my type of personality,” Hornqvist said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of room you put me in. I always want to be that kind of guy who talks and makes everyone feel secured and have fun but at the same time we’re here for one reason and that’s to win games. We have to when it’s compete time and then when when practice is over, then you can have fun and, you know, enjoy it.”
Simply being on the ice this past few days was a relief for Hornqvist. He doesn’t need much time on the ice to get ready for the season on a personal level.
But from a chemistry level? On a team that could feature potentially have as many as 10 new faces, himself included, from last year’s playoff roster? That takes an adjustment period.
Training camp this year was already shortened to begin with, just two weeks. Missing five days didn’t help, either, although Hornqvist did benefit from small, informal practice sessions with teammates at the Panthers’ practice facility in Coral Springs before training camp officially began.
“Obviously it was not ideal [to miss the start of training camp] but I have tried to put that behind me, look forward and try to get better every time I come to the rink from now on,” Hornqvist said. I can’t take that time back, so I may as well focus on what is in front of us.”
Right now, what’s in front of him is a spot on the Panthers’ second forward line, playing on the right wing alongside All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau and center Alex Wennberg. The trio was active during the Panthers’ scrimmage Tuesday, regularly keeping the puck in the offensive zone and showed a knack for causing turnovers. The trio has a combined 1,118 career points among them (426 goals, 692 assists).
“I think they have good possession time,” Quenneville said. “... They all see plays and make plays and have patience with the puck and know how to score.”
Hornqvist’s impression of his two linemates?
“Both of them are very talented with the puck,” he said, “so I am going to try to create space for them, got the net and get open. So far, so good.”
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 2:07 PM.
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