WESLEY CHAPEL - Puck is back.

Kicking off the 2025 Rookie Showcase in Wesley Chapel, the Florida Panthers defeated the Carolina Hurricanes in a dramatic 3-2 tournament opener that needed a shootout to decide the game.

Ready to go right out of the gate, both teams came out flying.

Not shying away from the physicality early, the hits piled up throughout the period.

A big pad save from Cooper Black kept the game scoreless, before Sandis Vilmanis found the back of the net on a quick wrist shot at 18:42.

“It felt great,” said Vilmanis, the Panthers 2022 fifth-round pick (157th overall). “I was so tired after the goal I couldn't even celebrate. Just a good feeling to get a first one on the board."

Answering back, in what would be the only goal of the period, the Hurricanes evened the scor

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