The Florida Panthers have made a roster move to start the morning off, recalling Chase Balisy from the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds. The move is likely in response to Connor Brickley’s upper-body injury suffered last night, which has been deemed day-to-day.
Balisy, 25, was a sixth-round pick of the Nashville Predators in 2011, but has yet to crack an NHL lineup in his professional career. After four years at Western Michigan University, where he was a captain and solid offensive contributor, he’s found success in the minor leagues as well. Last year for the Thunderbirds, he scored 45 points in 76 games and though he’s off to a slow start in the minors this year still has the skill to hop to the next level, at least on a part-time basis.
The Panthers ended up beating the Anaheim Ducks 8-3 last night, on the backs of several new faces. Radim Vrbata scored three times while Evgeni Dadonov netted a pair himself. The most interesting may have been Owen Tippett though, who broke through with his first NHL goal in his fourth game. Tippett represents the start of the next wave of Panthers’ players, and Balisy will try to throw his name into that hat.