Aaron Ekblad Aaron Ekblad ( born February 7 , 1996 ) is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman , and an alternate captain for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League ( NHL ) . Ekblad was selected first overall in the , and he was selected first overall by the Florida Panthers in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft . Playing career . Amateur . In 2010 – 11 , Ekblad competed for the Sun County Panthers minor midget AAA team in Belle River , Ontario . He had 34 points in 30 regular season games and added 21 points in 18 playoff games . He captained the team and lead them to an alliance championship . Ekblad ’ s application to be the only player born in 1996 in the draft was approved unanimously , after a six - week review by Hockey Canada . With the approval , Ekblad became the first defenceman ever granted " exceptional player " status . The status allowed him to compete in the Canadian Hockey League a year earlier than his eligible age . The only other players to have been given such eligibility are John Tavares in 2005 , Connor McDavid in 2012 , Sean Day in 2013 , and Joseph Veleno in 2015 . In the 2014 OHL Coaches Poll , the results of which were released in Toronto , he won top honours in four different categories in the Eastern Conference of the Ontario Hockey League , earning first - place finishes for best shot , hardest shot , best offensive defenceman , and best defensive defenceman . He was also voted second in the category of best penalty killer , behind Oshawa Generals forward Scott Laughton . Professional . Ekblad was selected first overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers on June 27 , 2014 . He subsequently signed his first NHL contract on September 3 , a three - year , entry - level deal with the Panthers . After making the Panthers ' opening night roster out of training camp for the 2014 - 15 season , Ekblad made his NHL debut on October 9 against the Tampa Bay Lightning . In the game , he scored his first career NHL point , an assist on a Jonathan Huberdeau goal , in Florida ' s eventual 3 – 2 loss in overtime . Ekblad later scored his first career NHL goal on November 1 against Steve Mason of the Philadelphia Flyers in a 2 – 1 Panthers win . On December 6 , in a game against the Buffalo Sabres , Ekblad scored a career - high three points in a 3 – 2 Panthers victory , the first Panthers rookie to record a three - point game since Dan Boyle during the 1998 - 99 season . Ekblad was also named the game ' s first star for his performance . On January 23 , 2015 , Ekblad was named as an injury replacement for Colorado Avalanche defenceman Erik Johnson at the 2015 NHL All - Star Game in Columbus , Ohio . In the Game , Ekblad recorded four assists in Team Toews ' 17 – 12 victory over Team Foligno . Ekblad finished his rookie season with 12 goals and 27 assists ( 39 points ) in 81 games played for Florida . Following the conclusion of his rookie season , Ekblad led all rookie defencemen in goals , power play goals ( 6 ) , power play points ( 13 ) , shots ( 170 ) and fewest shot attempts against per 60 minutes ( 38 . 04 ) . He also finished second in assists , plus - minus ( + 12 ) , hits ( 109 ) and blocked shots ( 80 ) , while also averaging 21 : 48 of ice time per game . On April 23 , Ekblad was named one of three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy — awarded annually to the NHL ' s rookie of the year — along with the Ottawa Senators ' Mark Stone and Calgary Flames ' Johnny Gaudreau . On June 24 , 2015 , Ekblad was announced as the Calder winner . On July 2 , 2016 , Ekblad and the Panthers agreed to an eight - year , $ 60 million extension . International play . During Team Canada junior team ' s training camp in August 2014 in preparation for the upcoming 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in December 2014 , Ekblad suffered a concussion in an exhibition game against the Czech Republic . Ekblad played for Canada at the 2015 World Championships , where they won the gold medal for the first time since 2007 with a perfect 10 - 0 record . Personal . Ekblad ' s brother Darien , a goaltender , was drafted into the OHL by the London Knights . Aaron Ekblad attended St . Anne ' s Catholic High School and was an honour roll student in the WECDSB . Ekblad was born in Windsor , but grew up in Belle River , Ontario . His great - grandfather was Swedish , hence the last name " Ekblad " .