Aaron Ekblad hasn’t even reached the halfway point of his rookie season, and he has now tied a Florida Panthers franchise record.
The still 18-year-old defenseman, selected first overall in the 2014 NHL Draft, had an assist on a pretty goal from Nick Bjugstad in the first period of Friday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. That gave Ekblad 21 points on the season, which ties him for the franchise record for points by a rookie defenseman previously held by Ed Jovanovski.