From Here to There: Former Blades in the NHL

There are five former Florida Everblades currently playing with National Hockey League teams. In addition to forward Tanner Jeannot suiting up with the Nashville Predators, NHL affiliate of the Blades, the following players are also playing in the top hockey league in the world.

Johnson Awaiting NHL Look: Cam Johnson was the best goaltender in the ECHL at the start of the 2020-21 season. By the time Johnson signed a two-way deal with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Jan. 9, the Troy, Michigan native was leading the ECHL with a 6-1-0 record, 1.77 goals-against average, and .941 save percentage. The netminder is currently on the Columbus taxi squad. Elvis Merzlikins and Joonas Korpisalo are the two goaltenders currently on the active roster for the Blue Jackets.

Lorentz Breaks into the Show: Forward Steven Lorentz made his NHL debut with the Carolina Hurricanes on Jan. 28 against the Tampa Bay Lightning this season. It did not take long for the 24-year-old to grab his first points at the NHL level. In his second appearance on Jan. 30, Lorentz potted a goal and grabbed an assist against the Dallas Stars. Since then, Lorentz has been a consistent presence for the Canes appearing in 38 total games so far this season. The Waterloo, Ontario native appeared in 82 games for the Everblades from 2017 to 2019. Most notably, he was a part of the Everblades squad that appeared in the 2018 Kelly Cup Finals. 

Career Year for Nedeljkovic: Carolina Hurricanes goaltender Alex Nedeljkovic is piecing together the strongest NHL showing of his career. Nedeljkovic sports a 13-4-3 record, 1.94 goals-against average, and .932 save percentage with the Canes this year. The 25-year-old backstop has been Carolina’s major key to success thus far. The Canes recently clinched a playoff spot and stand alone at the top of the Discover Central Division. Nedeljkovic appeared in 15 Everblades games between the 2014-15 and 2016-17 seasons. One of his career highlights came with the Blades in 2016, when he was the 12th goaltender in ECHL history to score a goal on Dec. 20 at Atlanta. 

Khudobin and Stars Fighting for a Playoff Spot: After coming off a stellar run to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, Anton Khudobin continues to be the Dallas Stars’ staple backstop in the 2020-21 season. So far this season, the 34-year-old goaltender has a 2.45 goals-against average and .907 save percentage in 28 games. Khudobin and his squad continued to make up some ground from a slow start to the season. Khudobin appeared in 33 games for the Everblades in the 2008-09 season. Since playing for the Blades in the 2008-09 season, Khudobin has appeared in 246 NHL games with five different teams: Minnesota Wild, Boston Bruins, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks along with Dallas. 

--

JOIN THE FUN

Become a member of the Florida Everblades family by securing a great seat location and big savings with a Blades 365 Membership!

Purchase a new Ticket Package or Flexible Voucher Package for the Blades 2021-22 season and receive a $20 gift card to Ford’s Garage along with an Everblades tote bag! To view the Blades 365 Membership savings, benefits and options clickHERE.

2021 Kelly Cup Playoff Packages are now on sale. To view the Kelly Cup Playoff Package options click HERE. 

Discounted Group Packages are also available for Groups of 10 or more! To reserve your group for an upcoming home game, call or text the Everblades Front Office at (239) 948-7825.

Make it a Suite Night with the Everblades! A Luxury Suite and Party Suite are available at a limited number of Everblades home games this season. For the latest availability on Suites, call or text the Everblades Front Office at (239) 948-7825.

Everblades put the FUN in FUNdraising! There is no handling of money or tickets and no limit to the amount of money your group can make with the Everblades easy-to-run online Fundraiser! For more information, or to reserve a Fundraiser Night at an Everblades regular season home game, call or text (239) 948-7825.

JOIN THE BROADCASTS

Watch every Florida Everblades game on the new home for ECHL hockey atFloHockey.TV.

Listen to the exciting game action on the Everblades Broadcast Network at WJBX News, Talk & More on 104.3 FM, 101.5 FM and AM 770, plus online atwjbxnewstalk.com. In addition, some Blades Broadcasts can be heard on 99.3 ESPN or online at 993espn.com.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION

Stay up to date by following the Florida Everblades on Social Media with all the latest news, scores and promotions on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Tiktok, and Twitter.

The Florida Everblades are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Nashville Predators and the AHL's Milwaukee Admirals.

###