Jesper Boqvist Named Florida Panthers Masterton Trophy Nominee

The Florida Chapter of the PHWA named Jesper Boqvist its Masterton Trophy nominee. The award is given to the player who exemplifies qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey.

FORT LAUDERDALE — Jesper Boqvist started the 2022-23 season in the minors. Fast forward one year and he is a key piece to the Florida Panthers’ title defense and has been rewarded with a brand new two-year contract extension.

Boqvist was honored on Wednesday morning for his efforts, being named the Panthers’ Masterton Trophy nominee by the Florida chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded to the NHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to the sport of hockey.

“I split the year last year, and then going into the offseason, I didn’t know what was going on, and I think I took a good step mentally and I was really ready to come here and go to work,” Boqvist said.

“I think in the past, I’ve been able to show what I could bring, but I wanted to do that in a full season and I think I’m on a good way to do that but I’m not there yet. I think I’ve taken a couple of steps this year and I’ve had a lot of help from the coaching staff and teammates and it’s been a lot of fun.”

Boqvist started the 2023-24 season with the AHL’s Providence Bruins, scoring 10 goals and 23 points in 31 games before finally earning a call-up to the big club in January. He finished the year with six goals and 14 points in 47 games, adding an assist in eight playoff games to finish the year.

The 26-year-old forward scored career-highs in goals (12) and points (23) in 74 games played after inking a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Panthers this offseason. He earned himself a two-year contract extension which will pay him double his current annual salary at a $1.5 million cap hit in March.

Boqvist spent four seasons with the New Jersey Devils after they selected him in the second round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He put up a total of 28 goals and 55 points in 189 games as a Devil, scoring 10 goals each in 2021-22 and 2022-23.

“I feel like every player’s road to where they’re at is different, and for me, it’s always to try to stay patient and believe in myself,” Boqvist said. “I feel like I’ve shown in the past what I can bring to the team, but not long enough. I just have to stay patient, believe in myself, and take it slow and steady.”

He signed a one-year deal with Boston in the 2023 offseason before landing in South Florida with his brother, Adam, the following offseason.

The brothers landed on Florida as their free agent destination not only because of their Stanley Cup victory that summer, but also because of prior success stories like Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Gustav Forsling and many others. The Panthers gained a reputation for finding players and getting the best out of them.

Adam was waived by Florida in January after failing to gain a foothold on the blue line — getting claimed by the New York Islanders — while Jesper has carved out a role for himself with the Panthers.

“Obviously, when you watch teams that win, that’s what you want to do,” Boqvist said. “Then you watch and you’re like ‘Where do people take steps?’ Right? And obviously, the last couple of years, you’ve seen guys take those steps and that’s something I know I can do and want to do. But obviously the chance to win is the most important thing.”

After starting his Florida tenure as a fourth-line player, Boqvist has stepped up to provide the team with a lot of versatility. And they needed that versatility after the team suffered through a number of injuries this season.

Boqvist played on all four forward lines this season, killing penalties for a large chunk of time early in the season and serving on the power play when the lineup ran thin in November.

“I think he’s what we hoped he would be,” coach Paul Maurice said. “We were very high on him going back to the playoffs two years ago. … But he is a player that can move around.

“He can play center, he can play the wing effectively, he can play both sides. And we know he’s got the skill set that he can play up the lineup. He is very, very valuable to us now.”