Anton Lundell realized one thing and then it started happening

When sometimes in the past years they talked about the importance of the top 6 forwards of an NHL team to winning, nowadays the concept can be extended to top stuff i.e. three top chains.

In today’s NHL, especially in the playoffs, you can’t really do without a quality three-point chain.

The Florida Panthers now get to enjoy quite the luxury of this relationship, when the team’s three center plays Anton Lundell.

The 23-year-old Lundell is even the best three-pointer in the NHL right now. As, for example, the Point Statistics of the playoffs showed (24 games, 17 points), Lundell was already there last spring. The result was the Stanley Cup.

This fall, Lundell has had time to be much more than “just” a three-point center. When Alexander Barkov was injured right at the beginning of the season, Lundell played a great role in the top chains.

It is not far-fetched to say that Lundell, who scored 5+7 in 11 games in the fall, was the best Finnish player in the NHL at the beginning of the season.

“The beginning of the season has been incredible from Antoni. He has taken big steps since last year. Already played fantastically in the playoffs, and the same has continued this season as well,” Barkov says.

“Notice how much time he has spent studying the game. And everything else around here and did the right things in the summer. It’s not a one-day thing that suddenly he woke up and is a good player. It is the result of a long period of time that he is able to play at that level now,” the captain continues.

Florida has had to play without Barkov and their second best player at times in the preseason Matthew Tkachukiabut the team still hasn’t had a bad day. One big reason has been precisely Lundell.

And the glow of HIFK’s early-season glory doesn’t just stem from staring at the point statistics. For example, his goal-to-goal ratio (xGF% 5v5) is Florida’s best (59%) among all players.

Lundell has played in the middle lane with rare maturity and responsibility right from his first NHL season, but since last spring’s playoffs, the level of play has started to show in efficiency as well.

Lundell, who started his fourth NHL season, feels that he is now better and more ready than before.

“It really feels that way. Self-confidence is quite high at the moment. I think I’ve been moving forward all the time in an upward direction. In the last playoffs, I was able to play the best puck of my life,” says Lundell.

“I got a lot of motivation and energy from it, when I saw that for a moment, I can play really well against anyone. I didn’t think or care anymore,” who will meet.

In the summer after the championship, Lundell signed a four-year, $20 million (5 million/season) contract extension with Florida.

While in recent years Lundell was a nice bonus for the team with his “free” rookie contract, now the salary also brings expectations. So far, he has redeemed them brilliantly.

“A big part of my development is certainly the fact that I have gained a lot of experience. I’ve noticed that you don’t always have to do a hundred things every shift. But you can trust your own playing and that when you do everything as well as possible every day”, you develop.

”

I’ve noticed that you don’t always have to do a hundred things every shift.

Lundell has been allowed to mature into a top player in a great place. Florida is a molded GM Bill Ziton under relatively quickly became the NHL’s elite team during the 2020s. The team’s internal standards and culture have been shaped by the Finnish captain Barkov.

Barkovin and second center by Sam Bennett in the shadows, Lundell hasn’t had to be pushed too quickly into too big a role either.

The young center forward could hardly wish for a better mentor in the NHL than Barkov. In recent years, Lundell has started to be called “mini-Barkov”.

“Lundell is one of those guys who comes to the hall every single day to improve, to learn something new. He really wants to be a little better every game than the last. Like Barkov. That’s the biggest strength he has,” Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu says.

“Anton is now faster and stronger. He always plays his best game in the tightest places,” Ruutu continues.

As a bonus on top of everything else, Lundell has been allowed to develop in Florida under Finnish coaching. Ruuttu plays a big role in training the attackers.

The head coach of the team Paul Maurice has praised Ruuttu’s importance in Lundell’s development.

“Tuomo has been a huge help to me. Of course, it hasn’t always been just nice get-togethers, but that’s part of the point. We learn from mistakes. Tuomo’s knowledge and ability to help through his own playing career has been very useful to me,” says Lundell.

February in the national team tournament of four countries, both Barkov and his apprentice Lundell can be found in the center four of the Lions when they are healthy.

There was a good demonstration of the brotherly relationship between the two on Thursday in Tampere. The two were asked at the media conference how it felt when dozens of small puck juniors surrounded them after practice.

“Big brother” Barkov joked in his comment to his “little brother”, who is six years younger.

“I can certainly say on behalf of both of us that we have also been there ourselves, swinging clubs and cleats. Or well, it’s been a long time since I’ve been there, not so long in Lunka”, Barkov threw a grin in the corner of his mouth, glancing at Lundell and made the audience laugh.

Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars will meet in NHL matches in Tampere on Friday at 20:00 and Saturday at 18:00.