Season Rewind: Vincent Trocheck

SUNRISE, Fla. – Vincent Trocheck isn’t surprised by his own success After bouncing back and forth between the AHL and NHL during his first two professional campaigns, the Florida Panthers’ fiery pivot entered the 2015-16 season with an admittedly large chip resting on his wide shoulder pads. “You obviously want to play in the NHL and this is where I want to be,” Trocheck said last summer. “I’ve loved every second of it and every time I’ve been here it’s been a blast. This summer I’m going to work hard and come into camp next season looking to make the team.” With a good offseason under his belt and a strong performance during training camp, Trocheck wasted little time in announcing his presence to the hockey world, scoring a career-high four points (1-3-4) to lead the Panthers to a 7-1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers on Opening Night at the BB&T Center. After that breakout performance, the 22-year-old would go on to established career highs in goals (25), assists (28) and points (53) in 76 games, spending the majority of those contests in between Jussi Jokinen and Reilly Smith on Florida’s high-scoring second line. “I think it was just a matter of getting the opportunity,” said Trocheck, who played in 78 AHL games from 2013-2015. “I think I always knew I could [succeed in the NHL]. I got the opportunity this year and got a bigger role than I had the last couple years. I think that’s where I definitely started to get my confidence. “I started to play with (Jussi Jokinen) and (Reilly Smith), and getting comfortable with those guys was definitely a big help for me. Once we got on a roll, it was all uphill from there.” An in-your-face forward that causes nearly as much havoc in the neutral zone as he does in the offensive zone, Trocheck was unfortunately sidelined for 10 games, including four playoff games, with a lower-body injury after blocking a shot near the end of the regular season. Trocheck was thankfully able to return to the Panthers lineup midway through their Eastern Conference …

continue reading in source panthers.nhl.com