Panthers Top Prospect Looking For A Bounce Back Offensive Season In 2025-26
The 2024-25 season wasn't anything to write about for Florida Panthers' top prospect Linus Eriksson, but a bounce-back season could be in order.
Eriksson, 19, is a 6-foot, 190-pound left-handed center with strong playmaking instincts and a responsible two-way game. He split his season with Djurgårdens IF in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second division and Timrå IK in the SHL, Sweden's top division.
Advertisement
With each team, Eriksson played 18 games, recording one goal and four points with Djurgårdens IF and one goal and two points with Timrå IK. Although his offensive numbers weren't eye-catching, many scouts who watched Eriksson consistently raved about his defensive game.
When playing with Sweden at the 2025 World Juniors, Eriksson recorded two goals in seven games, serving in a bottom-six role. He's eligible once again for this year's tournament and is expected to play a more impactful role.
Age, experience and another offseason to train will bode well for the Stockholm, SWE native, but a year of consistency should contribute to an improved season. After his loan spell with Timrå IK, Eriksson is expected to play the 2025-26 season with the club, moving away from Djurgårdens IF, with whom he has played at every level. He'll have better knowledge of what the coaching staff expects of him and improved chemistry with his teammates, which could increase offensive production.
Eriksson has many of the traits the Panthers organization loves from their centers. He is eager to win the puck back, strong in his battles around the boards and possesses excellent leadership qualities.
Florida Panthers center Anton Lundell (15) plays the puck against the Montreal Canadiens in the third period at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Anton Lundell and Aleksander Barkov were higher picks than Eriksson and had better production when they were younger, but they are the mould Eriksson should base his game off of.
Blackhawks Third Overall Pick Compares His Game To Panthers Captain
Blackhawks Third Overall Pick Compares His Game To Panthers Captain Chicago Blackhawks' 2025 third overall pick, Anton Frondell, compares his game to Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Goalie Gavin Betts perfect as Canada earns bronze at Hlinka Gretzky Cup
BRNO — Gavin Betts had a 22-save shutout as Canada earned bronze at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup with a 3-0 win over Finland on Saturday. Cooper Williams, Ethan Belchetz and Daxon Rudolph supplied the offence as Canada won its 30th medal at the under-18 men's hockey tournament. The Canadians fell to the United States in a 4-3 shootout loss in Friday's semifinal. 'It was tough to lose in the semifinals because we came here to try to win gold, but sometimes things do not work out the way you want them to," said Belchetz. "We were a little down after yesterday's game, but we wanted to leave here with a medal and bring something home to our families." Canada has won 25 golds, three silvers, and two bronzes since the international event was first held in 1991. William Gammals stopped 27 shots in net for Finland. The U.S. beat Sweden 5-3 for gold later Saturday. The Hlinka Gretzky Cup will be held in Edmonton in 2026. It will be the fifth time the international under-18 showcase is played in Canada, with Alberta previously hosting three times (Edmonton – 2024; Red Deer - 2022; Edmonton and Red Deer – 2018). Canada won gold at all three of those tournaments, defeating Czechia 2-1 in the 2024 final. 'We are thrilled to bring the Hlinka Gretzky Cup back to Edmonton next year, and to kick off the 2026-27 hockey season with the top under-18 players from eight countries competing for a gold medal,' said Dean McIntosh, Hockey Canada's senior vice-president of revenue, fan experience and community impact. 'This is a prestigious tournament with a deep history that is an important part of the international hockey calendar, and we look forward to hosting a world-class event for teams, players and fans next August.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 16, 2025. The Canadian Press
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Hlinka-Gretzky Cup Three Stars: Hextall, Hermansson, and Betts Shine as USA Wins Gold, Canada Takes Bronze
The Hlinka-Gretzky Cup has wrapped up with Team USA taking the gold medal in a thrilling win over Sweden, while Canada took home the bronze against the Finns. This edition of the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup was an exciting tournament, featuring some excellent standout performances, including a number of players who saved their best for last. The gold medal game between USA and Sweden was a back-and-forth affair filled with sloppy play, excellent power play efficiency by the Americans, and a Swedish team that never seemed to get their feet under them. Sweden opened the scoring, but the Americans responded to take the lead. Sweden tied it, and the USA added a couple to pull ahead. Sweden pulled within one, but the Americans added one last goal late to secure the win. Canada took home the bronze in a bit of a ho-hum game, taking a lead early in the first period and never really looking back. The Canadians dominated the pace of play for most of the game, eventually adding an insurance marker in the second period. After Canada lost to the U.S. in the semifinals, they came into the bronze medal game with a business-like approach. Let's take a look at the three stars of the medal round. First Star: Jack Hextall, C, USA No one was buzzing around the ice in this game the way that Jack Hextall was. His speed and skill allowed him to constantly find himself in positions to create something with the puck, buzzing east-west off the puck to collect loose pucks or pick up rebounds. His patience with the puck was an asset on both his first assist and his goal. Hextall added a second helper on a secondary assist on the power play as well. The assist came on a play in which he was able to rotate to the halfwall on the power play, wait for his teammate to attack the back door, and Hextall sent a cross-ice pass right to the doorstep of the crease, where he was able to time Noah Davidson's arrival perfectly for a tap-in. On his goal, Hextall was moving laterally across the top of the circles, drawing two defenders' attention who both went to block the shot at different times before Hextall waited for a clear lane and fired the puck past the sprawling defenders. Every time the Americans felt like the Swedes were beginning to push back, Hextall was thrown over the boards, and Team USA got back some of the momentum. This was a coming-out party for Hextall, and he should be able to build off a leading role at the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup to propel him to a strong draft season. Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Canada, USA, Sweden And Finland's Top Players Before Rivalry-Filled Semifinals The Hlinka Gretzky Cup has been quite entertaining so far, and it's about to amp up. Second Star: Elton Hermansson, RW, Sweden Opening the scoring less than a minute into the game and then adding a second goal in period two that pulled the Swedes within one at the time, Hermansson showed off his high-end shooting ability. The game's opening goal came on a rush opportunity where Hermansson simply pulled the puck in to use the defender as a screen before launching a wicked snap shot by the American netminder. His second goal came on a short five-on-three power play, walking down toward the inside edge of the faceoff circle and firing a low-to-high pass by the goalie in an instant. Throughout the third period, Hermansson was one of the Swedes who were buzzing around, trying to even up the game. His speed and skill were on full display as he did everything he could to evade pressure, spin off defenders and create chances for himself and his teammates. Ultimately, Hermansson and the Swedes came up short, but the impressive performance Hermansson put together in the gold medal game and the Hlinka-Gretzky Cup as a whole should be a building block for this season for the Swede. Hlinka Gretzky Cup: Verhoeff and DuPont Headline 12 Players To Watch The unofficial start to the 2026 NHL draft season has arrived as the Hlinka Gretzky Cup kicked off on Monday. Third Star: Gavin Betts, G, Canada In a game where Canada wasn't pristine or overly dynamic offensively, netminder Gavin Betts made 22 saves for the shutout. There weren't many big pushes from the Finns, but whenever they did begin to push, Betts was there. It's often tough for goalies when they aren't staying busy, and there were stretches of play where Betts didn't see a shot for quite some time, especially early in the game, but he remained locked in for when the Finns did make a push. The third period was Betts' busiest, stopping nine shots as Finland looked to try and get onto the board, but Betts stood tall. He consistently cut down angles and avoided letting a bad one in to give Finland life. Betts will look to build on his performance at the HGC, bringing the winning ways to the Kingston Frontenacs. Get the latest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Oilers' Fans Should Love New McDavid Update
EDMONTON – Championship teams win because of a team-first mentality. While the Edmonton Oilers have gotten a couple of cracks at the can, they are hopeful for another kick at it this season.
