FORT LAUDERDALE — To say his final 48 hours have been a whirlwind could be an understatement.
Mads Kongsbak Klyvo — the Danish ahead taken No. 112 by the Florida Panthers within the fourth spherical of the NHL draft — was at dwelling in Denmark, gathered across the TV along with his household, when he heard his title referred to as on Saturday afternoon.
Simply 48 hours later, the 18 yr outdated was on the ice in Fort Lauderdale.
“It’s been fairly overwhelming,” Klyvo mentioned on Monday after the Panthers’ first apply of participant improvement camp. “I bought a name fairly rapidly after the draft, after which we found out a flight to Miami, after which I bought right here yesterday.”
After absorbing the life-altering second and swiftly hopping a jet to South Florida, Klyvo was surrounded by almost each different one of many Panthers’ high prospects because the group opened the camp on the Baptist Well being IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale on Monday.
“I feel I took the airplane at 10 within the morning, Danish time, and bought right here at like 10 p.m. yesterday,” Klyvo mentioned. “Fairly, fairly overwhelming, however I’m actually excited to be right here.”
Klyvo, plus all however one of many 5 different gamers taken by the Panthers within the draft, will take part in three days of apply, together with Tuesday and Wednesday, culminating with a scrimmage on Thursday.
Klyvo—the Panthers’ highest draft choose — is joined this week by forwards Shea Busch, Shamar Moses and Arvid Drott, chosen 128th, 129th and 192nd, respectively, and defenseman Brendan Dunphy, taken 197th. Solely Yegor Midlak, the Russian goalie taken with the 224th and ultimate choose of the draft, is absent.
Jared Staal is the coach of the Panthers’ minor league affiliate within the East Coast Hockey League and shall be main the teaching workers at Florida’s improvement camp.
Staal mentioned he got here away from day one impressed with how the Panthers’ draft picks, together with Klyvo, navigated the strain of the previous few days.
“It’s not straightforward. … And there might be some anxiousness there,” Staal mentioned. “I believed it was very spectacular. It may be loads, but it surely didn’t seem to be loads. They labored laborious, and I believed it was a terrific day on the ice for them.”
Klyvo and the opposite prospects taken on this yr’s draft class are solely getting their first style of the massive leagues this week and can return to their respective beginner leagues subsequent season. Gamers drafted out of main junior leagues have their rights owned by the group that drafted them for 2 years in the event that they don’t signal a contract with a group.
Klyvo will return to the J20 Nationell, the Swedish beginner league wherein he scored 29 factors and 14 targets in 42 video games final season. Nevertheless, different prospects, like these taken in earlier draft lessons, are there preventing to remain within the professionals and probably lock in a spot on the Panthers’ precise roster.
“It’s a special mindset,” mentioned Hunter St. Martin, the ahead who was drafted No. 193 by the Panthers within the 2024 draft and signed an entry-level contract with the group final October.
“Final yr, you’re simply making an attempt to be taught, simply form of have your foot within the door. This yr, I need to make the group. I’ve aspirations to play professional this yr, so I feel that’s a completely totally different mindset.”
