Panthers announce 24-prospect development camp in Fort Lauderdale

Florida’s 2026 Development Camp put the Charlotte Checkers pipeline in focus immediately, with 24 prospects gathering at Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale and the group split into 11 forwards, eight defensemen and five goaltenders. The camp runs June 29 through July 2, and the mix gives the Panthers a first hard look at which players can move toward Charlotte in the next one to two seasons and which ones are still farther away.

The schedule is compact and revealing. Florida opens with a full-group on-ice session Monday, June 29, from 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m., then follows with full-group ice Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. before closing Thursday, July 2, with a full-group 3-on-3 scrimmage from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. All on-ice sessions are free and open to the public, subject to change, which turns the week into an accessible first look at the organization’s next wave.

For AHL eyes, the most realistic Checkers candidates are not the six players taken in Florida’s 2026 NHL Draft in Buffalo on June 26-27, but the older draft classes and invitees who can handle pro pace faster. The Checkers need forwards who can survive shifts in the bottom six, win pucks, and keep up with the forecheck. They need defensemen who can move the puck cleanly, defend the rush, and stay disciplined in their own end. They need goaltenders who can absorb the workload that comes with AHL travel and a playoff race. Camp is the first test of who can fill those roles.

That matters because Charlotte is not a soft landing spot. The Checkers finished the 2025-26 regular season 44-23-5-0, reached the playoffs for the eighth straight year, and ranked seventh in the AHL in goals scored per game and fourth in goals-against per game. Any prospect who wants to reach that roster has to show more than skill. He has to show detail, pace and the ability to fit into a team that has already established itself as one of the league’s steadier programs.

Florida’s development structure stretches beyond Charlotte, with the Savannah Ghost Pirates serving as the ECHL affiliate and extending the pipeline through the AHL layer. That gives the Panthers another step for players who are close but not quite ready for Charlotte. The trend is familiar for Florida, which brought 39 prospects to camp in 2024 and 31 last year, including five of its six 2025 draft picks. This year’s smaller 24-player field suggests a tighter evaluation and a more immediate sorting process, with the Checkers track in clear view from the opening skate.