Surrey-raised Justin Sourdif scored his first NHL goal after a nice solo rush in Nashville and give-and-go play with Florida Panthers teammate Jesper Boqvist.
The big moment happened Tuesday, Feb. 25 against the Predators, in Sourdif's first NHL game of the season and third of his rookie career.
The following day, Feb. 26, the Panthers reassigned him to the AHL Charlotte Checkers, where he had 22 points (11 goals, 11 assists) in 29 games leading up to the landmark game in Nashville. He's since added three more goals and two helpers for the minor-league team in North Carolina.
Post-game in Tennessee, the 22-year-old forward spoke with reporters in video posted to nhl.com.
"As a little kid you always think about how you're going to score your first NHL goal," he said. "I mean, is it going to be a rebound, go off your shin pad, a shot off the rush? So to have it go in for me tonight, It was pretty cool. It was a really nice pass by Jesper, and, yeah, it's one I'll remember forever, so I was super excited."
Sourdif felt "pretty comfortable" on the ice 16 months after last being called up by the Panthers for his first three NHL games, in October 2023.
"Like I said, one year older, just a little bit more experience," he said, "and so it's a lot easier to slide in and, yeah, there wasn't nearly as many nerves as last year, so I was definitely just excited to come up here and try and help."
Sourdif played his first NHL game with the Panthers in New Jersey on Oct. 26, 2023, helping the visiting team to a 4-3 victory over the Devils at Prudential Center. That night, Sourdif finally got his shot to play for the Panthers three years after being drafted by the team, 87th overall in 2020, and two years after signing an entry-level contract as the WHL’s reigning B.C. Division Player of the Year.
In his fifth and final season in the Dub, he captained Vancouver Giants for close to half a season before a trade to Edmonton Oil Kings and a failed run at a Memorial Cup.
Born in Richmond and raised in the Boundary Park area of Surrey, Sourdif was picked by the Giants third overall in the 2017 WHL Prospects Draft. He spent the bulk of the 2017-18 season with Valley West Hawks (now Giants) of the BC Major Midget League before joining the WHL Giants.
Earlier in his hockey journey, Sourdif played at Delta Hockey Academy at the Planet Ice rink in North Delta.
