How Mackie Samoskevich has evolved into a key player for the Florida Panthers as a rookie
There are times when Mackie Samoskevich still has to pinch himself when he thinks about where he is right now.
At this time a year ago, he was on the tail end of his first full season of professional hockey with the Charlotte Checkers, the Florida Panthers’ American Hockey League affiliate. He got a brief taste of NHL action, playing in seven games with the Panthers and then rejoining the team as a black ace (a player called up as insurance) during their run to their first-ever Stanley Cup.
Now, Samoskevich is not only a regular for the Panthers as they attempt to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, he’s a key cog in what they do in his rookie season.
He’s playing top-six minutes on Florida’s second line with center Sam Bennett and, as of Monday, began receiving playing time on the Panthers’ top power-play unit.
Samoskevich isn’t taking that opportunity for granted.
“It’s so cool what they’ve done the past few years and playoffs,” said Samoskevich, Florida’s first-round pick from the 2021 NHL Draft. “It was so fun to watch. I found myself up there thinking ‘I want to be out there in the years to come.’ So it’s definitely pretty cool to see now that I’m a part of it.”
Samoskevich is more than just part of it. He enters Florida’s game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday with 10 goals and 10 assists — making him the 13th player in franchise history to have double-digit goals and assists during his rookie year. His 10 goals are tied for seventh among all NHL rookies this season, and his four game-winning goals are tied for second among rookies.
At 5-on-5 this year, Samoskevich’s 81 scoring chances are sixth on the Panthers, while his 38 high-danger chances rank seventh. Teammates praise his “wicked” shot, as Bennett called it, and speed. He has improved his defense considerably, as well.
“He’s learning every single game, every single day, how to play Panthers hockey,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “He’s fit in really well. And now he’s a he’s a threat out there every single time he steps on the ice. He has that speed, he has that skill. He shoots the puck really well.”
Added star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk earlier this season: “His confidence with the puck, how strong he is on the puck, how well he skates. People have got to realize how much of an offensive talent he’s been throughout his whole life. So I think that if he’s put in a position to play that type of game — and he is with Benny and myself right now — he’s going to excel. It’s awesome playing with him.”
His game really began to tick upward when he started playing on Florida’s second line in January with Bennett, who has become a mentor of sorts to Samoskevich. When Samoskevich and Bennett are on the ice together at full strength, the Panthers have controlled 55.17% of shot attempts while holding a 123-90 edge in shots on goal edge and 118-77 advantage in scoring chances (including 48-38 in high-danger chances).
“He’s a kid that that wants to be an elite player in this league,” Bennett said. “You can see he’s got all the tools to do it. I’m just trying to keep him confident. The more we play together, I think the more we’re gonna learn off each other and build that chemistry, but he’s a he’s a great player with a ton of potential, for sure.”
While Samoskevich is known for his offensive prowess — that was his hallmark that got him selected in the first round — Bennett praised Samoskevich’s increased physicality, something the always-physical Bennett admitted caught him by surprise. Samoskevich has 89 hits and 19 blocked shots.
Just as important, Bennett appreciates that Samoskevich is taking risks in his game. The veteran’s biggest advice to the youngster has been “don’t be afraid to make mistakes.”
“Obviously, a big part of the NHL is trying to limit your mistakes,” Bennett said, “but as a young guy, I think if you’re too scared to make mistakes, your game doesn’t really develop. You definitely have to be on the edge of you don’t want to be making too many, but a couple here and there is OK. It just shows that you’re trying to make plays. And I think he definitely needs to do that.”
Samoskevich’s confidence to be aggressive and make plays has always been there. But he acknowledged that playing a full year in the minor leagues last season only aided his development. He scored 22 goals and had 54 points in 62 games with Charlotte last season.
“Just being able to play with no pressure and just grow as a person, as a player, it was huge for me,” Samoskevich said. “And I think it was big getting just little glimpses of the NHL, and then being able to go back there and work on stuff that I wasn’t very good at here. So I think it was huge for me. It was definitely valuable for me.”
And that development has been on display since joining the Panthers full time this season. He has taken every opportunity that has been offered to him, every challenge he had to face, in stride.
He began the year primarily playing as the right wing on the fourth line — a role that saw him get minimal playing time relative to what he could be getting — before getting promoted bit by bit throughout the season.
It started with getting time on the Panthers’ second power play unit. Then, it was moving up to the second line with Bennett and playing on the left wing — a new position for him as a right-handed shooter. Now, he’s also part of Florida’s top power-play unit with Tkachuk sidelined for the rest of the regular season due to an apparent groin injury sustained during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“His curve has been very steep,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “His improvement has been quite drastic. This year, he is quite a bit of further ahead of where I would have hoped he would be. ... He’s a much different player right now than he was a year ago. Credit to him and the work that he’s put in.
“He’s going to help us win games, and he’s not going to lose any confidence.”
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