ROOKIE SHOWCASE RECAP: Panthers 6, Predators 1

WESLEY CHAPEL - Finished strong.

Closing out the 2025 Rookie Showcase with plenty to be proud of, the Florida Panthers defeated the Nashville Predators 6-1 on Monday in Wesley Chapel.

“Really good players, high intensity games, and it was great out there,” 2025 fourth-round (128th overall) Shea Busch said of the tournament after the final game of his first Showcase.

Wasting no time, Sandis Vilmanis buried a dish from Gracyn Sawchyn 23 seconds in, to give the Panthers an early 1-0 lead.

The goal was the 2022 fifth-round (157th overall) pick’s second of the tournament.

Extending the lead, Ludvig Jansson lit the lamp on a wrist shot at 6:09 to make it 2-0.

“It felt really good,” the 2022 fourth-round pick (125th overall) said of the goal. “Great team effort and good to get the win.”

Finding himself all alone on a breakaway, Vilmanis almost added another before hitting the boards.

The Latvian forward did not return to the game and will be re-evaluated in Fort Lauderdale Director of Play Personnel Bryan McCabe said after the game.

With a 2-0 lead entering the second period, the feistiness started to pick up between the two teams.

While both sides had some time on the man advantage, neither could find the twine on the power play during the second frame.

Giving the Panthers some insurance, Liam McLinskey made it 3-0 with a breakaway goal at 12:42.

Adding another, just over two minutes later, Eamon Powell showed his power blasting a shot in, to make it 4-0.

Taking over in net in the third period, Louis-Antoine Denault made his weekend debut.

Starting the period off with some magic, Christophe Tellier sounded the goal horn on the power play 18 seconds in to make it 5-0.

Providing insurance a minute and a half later, Josh Davies, a sixth-round pick (186th overall) in 2022, went top shelf to put the Panthers ahead 6-0.

Preventing any chance for the Predators to get back in the game, the Panthers came up on the penalty kill, stopping both five-on-four and five-on-three opportunities.

Able to sneak one by late, the Predators got on the board with 4:06 left, before the Panthers closed out the game with a 6-1 win and finished the tournament going 2-1-0.

“Extremely fun (to be back),” said Jansson, who inked a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers in May. “This is what I’ve been looking forward to the whole summer and since everything got official.”