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Welcome To The Panthers, Erik Gudbranson

Written by: Jesse Michael on 26th June 2010

PHOTO BY SCOTT VANKOUGHNETT | read this item

After many years of bad news, the Gudbranson family finally got some good news yesterday as their oldest child, Erik, was selected third overall in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.

Erik’s youngest brother, 13-year old Dennis, has suffered through two bouts with cancer, causing a lot of strain on a family who was desperate for something to go right.

Now, with Dennis having a clean bill of health, the Gudbranson family can celebrate both that and Erik’s big move to the Florida Panthers.

Gudbranson was elated to be selected in the third spot.

“It’s absolutely huge,” a wide smiled Gudbranson said. “With what myself and my family have been through with my brother, this is definitely a high point in our lives, as much for me as it is for my family and my teammates. I can’t thank them enough.”

Even with his success so far, Erik said he realizes that he has a lot of work ahead of him in order to crack the Panthers lineup next season.

“This is an absolute dream come true and it’s where I wanted to be and where I dreamed to be since the combine,” he said. “I worked hard for this and I realize there’s a lot of work to be done but I’m thankful for the opportunity.”

Now, playing for Kingston in the Ontario Hockey League, there is a certain former NHL star that’s been leading the charge the last two seasons named Doug Gilmour.

Gudbranson was asked about how Gilmour helped his maturation process during his playing time with the Frontenacs.

“He’s got unbelievable experience,” he said. “He’s an NHL legend and has turned me into a pro. He’s shown me every tidbit he could to bring me to this level and help me to be who I am.”

And getting to the next level is the new plan for Gudbranson.

“It’s where I want to be and where I set my goal,” he said. “I have to work on my hands and put on some weight but I think I can play at the NHL level next season.”

As for his thoughts on going to the Panthers and how he thinks he’ll fit in with his new team?

“I feel with Dmitry Kulikov there I could be a good compliment to him on the back end,” Gudbranson explained. “A real attraction is having [new general manager] Dale Tallon there and seeing what he did with the [Chicago] Blackhawks, winning a Stanley Cup and building that team from scratch. I’m really excited to be a Panther now and I feel like they’re a team that’s going in the right direction.”

Looking up into the stands when he was selected, everyone in attendance could see the massive amount of emotion Erik’s entire family was feeling.

“I’ve never been squeezed so hard by my dad, and my mom was ecstatic,” he said. “My dad broke down into tears and you know, it’s a great feeling and something I’ll never forget.”

And Dennis’ reaction?

“I think he said I stepped on his toe or something like that. He was just really happy.”

Topics: Dale Tallon, Dmitry Kulikov, Erik Gudbranson, Florida Panthers, Kingston Frontenacs

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