Selected in the third round (74th overall) in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers, American forward Ty Smilanic enjoyed a successful freshman season at Quinnipiac University.
The only first year player to appear in all 29 games with the Bobcats during the 2020-21 campaign, Smilanic scored 14 goals and added 7 assists to finish fourth on the team in scoring. Four of those goals were game-winners and he finished the year with 76 shots as the Bobcats made the NCAA tournament.
Smilanic led the nation’s rookies in goals, tied for the national lead in power-play points and was third in power-play goals with six.