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Panthers rookie review 2003-04
Written by: Aaron Vickers on 06/01/2004 
| Pos. |
GP |
G |
A |
Pts |
Pts/GP |
+/- |
PIM |
ATOI |
Shots |
|
| Nathan Horton |
C |
55 |
14 |
8 |
22 |
.40 |
-5 |
57 |
13:20 |
81 |
| Lukas Krajicek |
D |
18 |
1 |
6 |
7 |
.38 |
-2 |
12 |
13:31 |
16 |
| Kamil Piros |
RW |
17 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
.12 |
-4 |
4 |
9:25 |
11 |
| Ty Jones |
RW |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.00 |
0 |
7 |
3:05 |
1 |
| Josh Olson |
LW |
5 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
.20 |
1 |
0 |
8:16 |
6 |
| Grant McNeill |
D |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.00 |
0 |
5 |
2:43 |
0 |
| Kristian Kudroc |
D |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.00 |
0 |
2 |
7:15 |
0 |
| Gregory Campbell |
C |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
.00 |
-1 |
5 |
9:09 |
0 |
Nathan Horton, C - Selected in the first round, 3rd overall in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft
Big things were expected from Nathan Horton when he signed his entry level contract on October 3, 2003. Three weeks later, he recorded his first point. Another week after that, Horton continued to keep the ball rolling with his first career National Hockey League goal. An NHL record would be his when Horton became the youngest player in NHL history to record a penalty shot goal on January 8. A storybook season was on the horizon for the youngster from Welland, Ontario. Horton's inagural season wasn't to be as planned, however, when on January 13 he was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Three days later Horton underwent surgery to repair the injury, and was expected to miss the balance of the season for the Panthers.
Many were surprised when Horton returned to the ice for the Florida Panthers after missing only 21 games after the surgery. The resiliency of Horton was shown by recovering months in advance from a surgery that was to keep him out of the line-up for the remainder of the season. Unfortunately for Horton, though, another shoulder injury would occur a little less then a month later, requiring another surgery, and knocking the rugged first round selection out of the 2003-04 NHL season.
Lukas Krajicek, D - Selected in the first round, 24th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft
Krajicek, widely regarded as the top defensive prospect in the Florida Panthers organization, saw action in 18 games over the course of the 2003-04 National Hockey League season. Splitting duty between the NHL's Panthers and the AHL's San Antonio Rampage, Krajicek actually saw his offensive output increase while skating for Florida. Krajicek recorded 17 points in 54 games with the Panthers affiliate, but stepped up his production with the big club, registering seven points in the 18 games he saw action in, an increase in production, with a drop in time on the ice.
Krajicek, another first round selection who the Florida Panthers traded up to get in 2001, is expected to see an increased role with the Panthers given his ability to generate offense from the back end, something that should come with the likes of Krajicek, Van Ryn and Jay Bouwmeester.
Kamil Piros, RW - Acquired via trade with the Atlanta Thrashers on March 8, 2004
Kamil Piros, most recognized as the heir apparent to become Ilya Kovalchuk's center in Atlanta, was acquired on March 8, 2004 in exchange for defenseman Kyle Rossiter. Piros was immediately inserted into the Panthers lineup, and suited up for 17 games with the Florida Panthers. Although he averaged under 10 minutes a game in Florida, Piros was given a fair shake to showcase his abilities in front of Panthers brass. With the subsequent hiring of Jacques Martin, Piros might find himself in a struggle to get quality minutes in Florida.
Piros, who has the offensive abilities to develop into a second line center has yet to find his stride at the NHL level, and hopes to do so with the Panthers. His contract is up this summer.
The Rest
Another acquisition for the Florida Panthers in March was right winger Ty Jones. Jones skated in six games for the Panthers, but would have been lucky to see the ice for more then five shifts per game. Josh Olson, who was selected 190th overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, suited up for five games with the club. Olson, who skated with the Panthers fourth line, recorded one goal during his stint up with Florida. Grant McNeill saw the least amount of ice time of any Panthers rookie on the season, averaging just under six total minutes in two games with the Panthers. McNeill was a third round selection of the Panthers in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft.
Kristian Kudcoc suffered an injury-plagued first season with the Florida Panthers, after signing with the club as an unrestricted free agent during last year's offseason. Kudroc, who missed 38 games with an ankle injury, spent the strong majority of the season with the San Antonio Rampage. The son of NHL executive Colin Campbell, Gregory Campbell, made his NHL debut in October, during a two game call-up. Selected in the third round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Campbell was a -1 and had 5 minutes in penalties during his stint with the Panthers.