Mackie Samoskevich showing why he has ‘all the tools’ to succeed with the Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers have known for some time now that Mackie Samoskevich has the qualities to be a successful player.
There’s the lethal shot that made him a tantalizing and intriguing pick at No. 24 overall in the 2021 NHL Draft. There’s the speed he glides down the ice and helps create separation. There’s the willingness to learn and adapt his game.
“He has all the tools to be a really good NHL player,” forward Carter Verhaeghe said.
And now, those tools are finally showing up at the highest level.
After getting a taste of what it takes to play in the NHL last season, first in seven games over two stints with the Panthers during the regular season and then as an extra body at practice during Florida’s run to its first-ever Stanley Cup, Samoskevich has been a regular for the Panthers in his second pro season.
And there’s a lot to like.
Entering Saturday’s game against the Carolina Hurricanes, Samoskevich has eight points — four goals and four assists. All four of his goals have come over the past 12 games.
Of those four, three have been game-winning goals. That leads the Panthers, tied for most among rookies (also Dallas’ Logan Stankoven, Carolina’s Jackson Blake, and San Jose’s Macklin Celebrini) and is tied for 8th in the NHL. And of the 32 players with at least three game-winners, Samoskevich has done it despite averaging the least amount of time on ice per game (just 11:27) while rotating between Florida’s third and fourth forward lines.
How is he getting so much success in so little time? He’s making the most of his opportunities at the net.
While he has recently started to get time on Florida’s top power-play unit with Aleksander Barkov, Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk and Aaron Ekblad, Samoskevich’s four goals are all at 5-on-5 and on 19 just shots at full strength — scoring on 21.05 percent of 5-on-5 shots on goal. He has generated 27 scoring chances at 5-on-5, which is tied for eighth on Panthers despite having the second-least amount of time on ice among those eight (only Barkov, who missed eight games with injury, has less).
“His energy and how fast he is, how skilled he is — it’s great,” Barkov said. “He’s getting better every day, and it’s a lot of fun to see. Obviously, he works really hard for it, and the things he does on the ice, skating around the ice, I would love to have his legs at some point.”
Samoskevich said earlier in the season that his success has come in part because the game has “slowed down for me quite a bit” as he transitioned to professional hockey. He excelled in two seasons at the University of Michigan, producing 73 points (30 goals, 43 assists) in 79 games before becoming a full-time pro in the 2023-24 season.
He made Florida’s Opening Night roster that year, but only spent seven games with Florida over two stints — including a brief call-up in January when the Panthers were dealing with injuries. Instead, Samoskevich thrived with the Charlotte Checkers, Florida’s American Hockey League affiliate, with 54 points (22 goals, 32 assists) over 62 games.
He joined the Panthers for the playoffs as a black ace, an extra practice player, and got to watch Florida’s postseason run first-hand.
His biggest takeaway: “Just how consistent guys are away from the rink. Obviously, they’re so good on the ice, but it’s not for no reason. They are so dialed in off the ice, and you’re professional now. That’s your job now, and that’s something early on that you quickly learn when coming out of college. So right away I saw and just learned so much from it right away.”
Samoskevich personally spent the offseason focusing on improving minor aspects of his game — particularly finding ways to creating time and space on the ice — to make sure he was in the best position to succeed in his second chance to make the club.
He also learned how to better handle adverse situations that came his way. Training camp provided just that, with Samoskevich missing almost all of the preseason with an upper-body injury.
“I think I got a lot better at that,” Samoskevich said at the end of training camp. “Not perfect, but every day it’ll get better, so it’ll pay off.”
It’s paying off now, and the Panthers are recognizing it.
“I think he’s made consistent improvements in his game,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “The gap between his good and his worst is closing. So there’s not as much aberration in this game. And it’s not the goal scoring; it’s all the other parts of it.”
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