Panik, Richard
Prospects To Highlight Lightning Exhibition Opener
Submitted by timothy on September 15, 2009 - 14:02The Tampa Bay Lightning take the ice Wednesday night in Dallas, TX for their first pre-season game against the Dallas Stars. Five of BoltProspects' Top 7 ranked prospects, including the top three ranked prospects, will help kick off the Lightning's 2009-10 hockey season. Highlighting the Tampa roster will be 2009 #2 overall pick, Swedish blueline phenom Victor Hedman. Hedman will be joined by fellow 2009 draftees Richard Panik and Jaroslav Janus. Forwards Steve Downie and Dana Tyrell along with defenseman Matt Lashoff round out the remaining top prospects that will be showcased in tonight's opener. Forwards Blair Jones, Martins Karsums, and Paul Szczechura represent three more Top 20 prospects that are fighting for roster spots on the Lightning's bottom lines with overagers Drew Miller and Zenon Konopka.
The expected forward lines for Wednesday's game are:
Drew Miller - Jeff Halpern - Blair Jones
Brandon Bochenski - Paul Szczechura - Dana Tyrell
Steve Downie - Brett McLean - Richard Panik
Todd Fedoruk - Zenon Konopka - Martins Karsums
Joining Lashoff and Hedman on the blueline are newcomers David Hale and Kurtis Foster along with former prospects Matt Smaby and Mike Lundin. Joining Janus in net is 2009 free agent acquisition Antero Niittymaki.
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Panik's Goal (well, one of them)
Submitted by chad on September 9, 2009 - 08:01This was Richard Panik's much talked-about second goal of the preseason, scored between the legs on a ricochet off the end-boards. Panik (#28 on right) had three goals and eight points in two exhibition games for Windsor before joining the Lightning for rookie camp in Brandon, Florida. Enjoy.
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CHL Exhibition Update
Submitted by chad on September 7, 2009 - 09:52In recent CHL exhibition action:
Richard Panik (2009 2nd) had a goal and three assists in a 5-3 Windsor exhibition win over Plymouth Saturday afternoon. Panik has three goals and five assists in his first two North American games. And he's not even playing next to likely 2010 No.1 overall pick Taylor Hall yet. Panik couldn't be in a better situation. He's playing for a coach (Bob "The Boogie Man" Boughner) and GM (Warren Rychel) who were both hard-nosed, disciplined players and expect the same out of their Spitfire players. As the defending Memorial Cup and OHL champions, and expected 2010 champion for both, the Spits will be in Canada's spotlight and have targets on their backs all year. They'll get everyone's A-game defensively. This should help Panik speed his development for NHL play. Finally, he'll be surrounded by players such as Hall, Ryan Ellis, and Cam Fowler, which means he has a very high statistical ceiling. This will be fun to watch.
Goaltender Jaroslav Janus made his exhibition debut for Erie Saturday, stopping 31 shots in a 4-4 tie with Niagara. Janus can return to Erie this year as an overager, though there was speculation he'd go to Europe or be signed by the Lightning and placed in the Central League or assigned to an ECHL team. It's good to see him back with the Otters, even if it's just to get work before Tampa Bay's rookie camp this week.
The "other" 2009 Lightning first rounder, Carter Ashton, had an assist for Lethbridge in preseason action Friday.
Matias Sointu, who is making his North American debut with Ottawa this year, has one assist through two exhibition games for the 67's. Sointu missed most of last season with an injury in Finland.
The Q opens regular season play this week, so look for BoltProspects' Game Night summaries to appear shortly.
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Welcome to North America, Mr. Panik
Submitted by chad on September 4, 2009 - 07:38
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Best Draft Since 1998?
Submitted by pete on June 27, 2009 - 13:06It's almost impossible to beat the haul the Lightning got in 1998 (Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Dimitry Afanasenkov, and Martin Cibak), but I think the Lightning might've just completed their second best draft in team history. They already completed a first in history making a pair of first round picks on night one of the draft with Victor Hedman and Carter Ashton, so they were on their way already.
However, their second and fourth round selections really put this draft over the top. Richard Panik is a big time gamble, but he's going to a very good program in Windsor and will be playing for Bob Boughner. On pure talent, he could be even better than Ashton if you can get his head on straight, and he'll be in the environment in Windsor to facilitate that.
And, we love that Alex Hutchings pick. Absolutely love it. You got a hockey player who can play center or wing. Good skater. Good hockey sense. He can pass. He can shoot. He mucks well for a little guy. He just knows how to play the game. It's shocking he fell into the Lightning's lap in the fourth round, and in getting Hutchings the Lightning completed a very successful first four rounds where they got 4 of the top 48 rated prospects by THN and 4 of the top 60 by Red Line. That's in a deep draft, no less, so they got a lot of quality.
The goaltenders, Zador and Janus, seem like a reaction to Karri Ramo's defection. Zador's got to get playing time, but he was a first rounder in the OHL Priority Draft in 2007, so he's got raw ability. Janus made his name at the WJC's and had decent statistics for Erie this season. Because Janus was an overager, he'll probably only have one more year in junior. Zador probably gets two. You're just wishing and hoping one of them develops the way Ramo did when the Lightning took a sixth rounder on him out of Lahti.
I have a feeling the Lightning got some value out of that Gotovets pick. I'm guessing if his name was Johnson or Wilson, he might've gone a couple of rounds sooner, but teams are terrified of the KHL poaching their players. Yes, there's a danger if Gotovets develops he could be poached by Dynamo Minsk, but he's already taken the step of coming over to Shattuck and he already speaks pretty flawless English. I don't think you make that commitment and go to an Ivy League school like Cornell only to turn back around and go back to Belarus, and I have yet to hear about anything glaringly wrong with his game other than the fact he's pretty skinny. He'll be a darkhorse to watch over the next few years.
The only regret is that the Lightning didn't find a way to get an offensive defenseman or two into the system. That'll be something they'll need to look at next year, and they'll certainly continue to try to flesh out their forward depth. Getting Ashton, Panik, and Hutchings was a whale of a start, though. Very good draft. I suspect they get at least three NHL players out of this group.
Update:
Evidently, Janus would've gone to Russia to play in the KHL if he hadn't been drafted, and he wants to play pro this season and not go back to junior. That's an interesting problem for a Lightning organization that has Riku Helenius and Dustin Tokarski all but inked into the lineup in Norfolk next season.
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Richard Panik
Submitted by timothy on June 27, 2009 - 09:39Basics

Draft Info
Contract
Bio
2005-2006
- Began his junior career at the young age of 14 in the Slovakian J18 ranks for MHC Martin where he had 11 goals and 24 points in 40 games.
2006-2007
- Left the Slovakian hockey system for the Czech Republic, where he joined the Trinec organization.
- Split his time between Trinec's J18 and J20 clubs, scoring 10 goals and 16 points in 12 games in J18 and 16 goals and 25 points in 27 games at the J20 level.
- Made his 1st appearance for the Slovakian national team, posting 2 assists in 6 games at the 2007 U18 World Junior Championships.
2007-2008
- Exploded into the consciousness of the NHL scouting community by posting 35 goals and 62 points in 39 games with a +36 rating and 70 penalty minutes for Trinec's J20 side.
- Made his Czech Extraliga debut for Trinec, going scoreless in 6 games for the top level team.
- Had 4 goals and 10 points in 6 games for Slovakia at the 2008 U18 World Junior Championships.
- Named the seventh best prospect for the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by THN in their 2008 NHL Draft issue.
- Selected 10h overall in the 2008 OHL Import Draft by the Windsor Spitfires.
2008-2009
- Struggled through a frustrating, injury-riddled campaign that saw his draft stock plummet.
- Managed just 1 goal and 2 points in 15 games for Trinec at the Extraliga and spent a short 3 game stint with Havirov in the Czech 1 liga second tier league, scoring 2 goals and 3 points in 3 games.
- Scored 2 goals and 5 points in 7 games in his first appearance at the U20 World Junior Championships for Slovakia.
- Did not appear at the U18 World Junior Championships for Slovakia due to injury.
- Named the 13th best skater prospect in Europe by NHL Central Scouting and the 60th best prospect overall by Red Line Report at season's end.
- Selected in the 2nd round with the 52nd overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Tampa Bay Lightning.
2009-2010
- Left Europe to play Canadian junior hockey with Windsor of the OHL.
- Scored 9 goals and 18 points in 33 games with the Spitfires before being traded to the Belleville Bulls, where he scored 12 goals and 23 points in 27 games.
- Finished the OHL regular season with a total of 21 goals and 41 points in 56 games.
- Scored 6 goals and 8 points in 6 games for Slovakia in the U20 World Junior Championships, leading his club in both goals and points and was selected as one of Slovakia's top-3 players by the tournament coaches.
- Signed an amateur tryout contract (ATO) with the Norfolk Admirals at the end of his junior team's season and had 1 assist in 5 games for the Admirals.
2010-2011
- Had 14 goals and 31 points in 27 games for Belleville before being traded to Guelph, where he amassed 13 goals and 25 points in 24 games for the Storm.
- Finished the OHL regular season with a total of 27 goals and 56 points in 52 games.
- Named captain of Team Slovakia in the U20 World Championships.
[8}Scored 7 goals and 9 points in 6 games to again lead the Slovakians in goals and points, and was again named one of Slovakia's top-3 players by the coaches.
- Scored 1 goal and 3 points in 6 playoff games for Guelph.
- Signed a 3-year entry level contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Scouting Report
"He has a real set of hands with the puck; the kind of guy who can beat you at top speed in traffic." -Lightning Director of Amateur Scouting Jim Hammett
"On talent alone he'd be first round material." -Red Line Report
Panik is incredibly strong on the puck with the ability to beat defenders wide with speed and power. He also possesses a high end shot and playmaking ability. He has the ability to dominate the play in the offensive third of the ice when he is healthy and applies himself.
Scouts soured on Panik due to the perception he is lazy and has a bad attitude. He fell out of condition after getting injured late in 2008-2009 and showed up to the NHL Scouting Combine out of shape. Getting a consistent effort out of Panik is the first order of business in his development. Teaching him the defensive side of the game is the second.
Panik has scoring line potential, and the most common comparison scouts give for Panik's style is to Marian Hossa. But, he's a hit or miss prospect who could very well never touch NHL ice if he fails to learn to prepare and compete consistently like a professional.
October 2014 Addition: Panik's failure to compete consistently resulted in him being waived by the Lightning and picked up by Toronto. The Leafs are getting a skilled, powerful winger who - when all cylinders are firing - can take over a shift. Panik can score and hit and is satisfactory in his end of the ice. The key for him is to get all parts of his game working at the same time. If he does, he's excellent. If he doesn't, he's forgettable.
Statistics
Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | Playoffs | GP | G | A | TP | PIM | |
2004-2005 | MHC Martin U18 | Slovakia U18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | | | ||||||
2005-2006 | MHC Martin U18 | Slovakia U18 | 40 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 20 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
2006-2007 | HC Trinec U18 | Czech U18 | 12 | 10 | 6 | 16 | 48 | | | Playoffs | 3 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 8 |
HC Trinec U20 | Czech U20 | 27 | 16 | 9 | 25 | 30 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
Slovakia U18 | WJC-18 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | | | |||||||
2007-2008 | HC Trinec U20 | Czech U20 | 39 | 35 | 27 | 62 | 70 | | | Playoffs | 8 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 52 |
HC Ocelari Trinec | Czech | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |||||||
Slovakia U18 | WJC-18 | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | | | |||||||
2008-2009 | HC Trinec U20 | Czech U20 | 16 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 36 | | | Playoffs | 8 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 41 |
HC Ocelari Trinec | Czech | 15 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
HC Havirov | Czech2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | | | |||||||
Slovakia U20 | WJC-20 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | | | |||||||
2009-2010 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 33 | 9 | 9 | 18 | 19 | | | ||||||
Belleville Bulls | OHL | 27 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 36 | | | |||||||
Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | | | |||||||
Slovakia U20 | WJC-20 | 6 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | | | |||||||
Slovakia | WC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | | | |||||||
Slovakia (all) | International | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | - | | | |||||||
2010-2011 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 27 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 33 | | | ||||||
Guelph Storm | OHL | 24 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 42 | | | Playoffs | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 | |
Slovakia U20 | WJC-20 | 6 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 12 | | | |||||||
Slovakia (all) | International | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | - | | | |||||||
2011-2012 | Norfolk Admirals | AHL | 64 | 19 | 22 | 41 | 62 | | | Playoffs | 18 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 23 |
2012-2013 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 25 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | | | ||||||
Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 51 | 22 | 19 | 41 | 81 | | | Playoffs | 16 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 59 | |
2013-2014 | Tampa Bay Lightning | NHL | 50 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 21 | | | Playoffs | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 13 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 | | | |||||||
Slovakia | OG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | | |||||||
Slovakia | WC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | | | |||||||
Slovakia (all) | International | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | | | |||||||
2014-2015 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 49 | | | ||||||
Slovakia | WC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | | | |||||||
Slovakia (all) | International | 9 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 10 | | | |||||||
2015-2016 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 33 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 34 | | | ||||||
Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 30 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 6 | | | Playoffs | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
2016-2017 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 22 | 22 | 44 | 58 | | | Playoffs | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
2017-2018 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 37 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 26 | | | ||||||
Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 35 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 12 | | |
Player statistics © www.eliteprospects.com
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