In his first on-ice appearance in a Florida Panthers uniform, second-year forward Jared McCann couldn’t stop smiling as he deked and dazzled his way through various on-ice drills during the first day of development camp at the Panthers IceDen on Monday.
Acquired in an offseason trade with the Vancouver Canucks, McCann, the 24th overall pick in the 2014 draft, stands out as the only player participating in this week’s camp with any NHL experience to speak of. Having this first-hand knowledge undoubtedly gives him a leg up on the rest of the locker room, but the Stratford, Ontario native still remains grounded, knowing full well that nothing will be handed to him this week or any other week, for that matter.