Donovan Sebrango is impressing the Panthers. He thanks ‘rock star’ mom for getting here
Donovan Sebrango had just logged the first points of his NHL career — logging a pair of assists in the first two periods of the Florida Panthers’ eventual 3-2 road win against the Vegas Golden Knights on Nov. 10 — and immediately, he thought of his mom, Kim Sebrango.
“She’s my rock star,” Donovan Sebrango told Scripps Sports’ Katie Engleson during a midgame interview that night. “She’s the reason why I’m here.”
That, naturally, led to a rush of emotions from mom once she heard the interview.
“Of course, I start crying. I was crying my eyes out,” Kim Sebrango told the Miami Herald in a phone interview a day later. “I was thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, this is a dream. It’s incredible to watch.’ What an experience. It’s unbelievable. I struggle to find words to describe all of this.”
The experience has indeed been unbelievable so far for Donovan Sebrango, who found a way to immediately contribute for the back-to-back Stanley Cup champion Panthers after being picked up on waivers from the Ottawa Senators early in the season and had to bide his time before actually joining the team due to a visa issue.
In addition to his two points logged in the Vegas game, Sebrango has 11 hits and 11 blocked shots in his seven games with the Panthers. Florida has outscored opponents 6-3 when he’s on the ice at 5-on-5.
“He’s been incredibly consistent and pretty predictable in this game,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “We’re very pleased.”
And Donovan Sebrango isn’t taking this opportunity for granted. While he is a healthy scratch for Florida’s home game against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, this season is the 23-year-old’s first extended time playing in the NHL after being a third-round pick in 2020 and getting a brief cup of coffee with the Senators last season.
He knows the chance that is in front of him — a chance to make his name in the league, a chance to make an impact for a championship team. He’s not going to let anything get in his way.
He learned that from mom.
“She pushed me every day,” Donovan Sebrango said. “She’s instilled in me what got me here. I had to put the work in, but she taught me all the lessons that needed to get me here.”
Kim raised Donovan and his older sister Gabby as a single mom most of their lives after getting a divorce from their father Eduardo Sebrango — who had a two-decade soccer career with his native Cuba, Canada and the United States and is now an assistant coach with CF Montreal — when Donovan was young. There are sacrifices that come with that.
She gave up a job with Canada Soccer, with whom she was an administrative manager for the women’s national team in 2003 and 2004, to focus on raising her kids. Both kids played hockey growing up. Gabby is now an internationally ranked powerlifter.
“You will do what you need to do,” Kim Sebrango said. “Get the job you need to get that allows you the flexibility to do the doctor’s appointments and all those things. Thankfully, I always worked in sports, and had a good background and was able to do that. But juggling is always tough, and the kids appreciate it. I think that’s sort of rubbed off on them a little bit in terms of we don’t quit; we just keep going.”
That they do.
And mom’s efforts aren’t lost on Donovan Sebrango, who is doing whatever he can to repay her for everything she has done for him.
A prime example: Kim Sebrango sustained a brain injury after a car accident in 2017. Equine therapy was recommended as part of her rehab and recovery. She loved it. Donovan Sebrango saw how much it helped. Once he signed his entry-level contract in 2021, he decided to act.
“He bought me two mini donkeys,” Kim Sebrango said.
Now, Sancho and Carlos Sebrango are part of the family, along with their two dogs Yogi and Doug.
“They are just incredible,” Kim Sebrango said. “I had not cared for donkeys, and so I had to learn about caring for donkeys, and it’s kept me busy. They’re incredible little creatures.”
To Donovan Sebrango, it’s just a small favor in a long line of ones he hopes to give her down the road.
“It doesn’t do it justice,” Donovan Sebrango said. “She’s still owed a lot by me.”
Kim Sebrango doesn’t view it that way. Her son is now in a position to thrive at what he loves. That’s all a mom can ask for.
“He’s been there through a lot of stuff over the years,” Kim Sebrango said. “We’re very, very close. ... It’s just surreal.”
So, too, is the opportunity in front of him, one he has taken full advantage of after a brief hiccup along the way.
When Florida claimed Donovan Sebrango off waivers on Oct. 15, it was a move to add depth to their blue line following an injury to veteran defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who is now sidelined through mid-March after undergoing shoulder surgery.
It was welcome news at home.
“I start screaming, ‘Oh yeah, baby! That’s the Stanley Cup champions,’” Kim Sebrango said.
But there was a snag in him getting to South Florida as he waited for his visa to get cleared. It took about a week and a half for that to get sorted out. In the meantime, he did what he could to stay ready while staying with mom in Gananoque, a small town just outside of Ottawa with a population of about 5,500.
“He would go out with coaches here and just practice by himself,” Kim Sebrango said. “So he put in the hard work while he was here, but it’s tough when you’re on a farm outside of town and, you’re waiting to go to the Florida Panthers. It’s a pretty nerve wracking time.”
But since he got here, the nerves have subsided. He managed to crack the lineup after just a couple practices and has played a free and relatively clean style of hockey while paired with veteran Jeff Petry, who is playing in his 1,000th career game on Monday.
“He looks comfortable,” Petry said. “He’s continuing to grow each game. He’s a strong kid, skates well. That physical side of the game really helps the back end and I think it gets him going too. He gets a hit early on in the game, and you can kind of see that confidence build throughout from there.”
Added fellow defenseman Aaron Ekblad: “He’s not scared to hold on the puck and make plays and just all the little things you’d like to see from a guy.”
As he continues getting acclimated to his new team, Donovan Sebrango is keeping things simple. He’s not letting any chance to grow and learn slip away.
“Just being around winners and just seeing their attitude and what they bring every day, I think that’s the biggest thing,” Donovan Sebrango said. “It’s a privilege to be around these guys.”
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