Today’s hockey prioritizes speed, skill, and flashy goals. According to some this has come at the expense of physicality and grit–and the players who specialize in such a thing are becoming rarer and rarer. Josh Davies might prove an exception.
Davies, the Airdrie raised forward and four-year veteran of the Western Hockey League (WHL), signed his first professional contract with the National Hockey League’s (NHL) Florida Panthers last week. The three-year entry-level contract might see Davies skating on a team that made the Stanley Cup Finals last season, if not, it will give him a good shot of playing pro on one of the Panthers affiliate teams.
“I’m an old school player that likes to play physical, likes to shoot the puck, and likes to go to the gritty areas,” said Josh Davies as he described his style of play.
Last season in Swift Current, Davies accumulated 131 penalty minutes on a Broncos team that finished ninth in the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL) Eastern Conference, just three points shy of the final playoff spot.
Last year, Davies was a productive player who scored 20 goals and added 14 assists in 62 games. This year, his first on the Portland Winterhawks, Davies has 20 goals in just 25 games. He’s one goal off from the team leader in three fewer games, and currently has the third most points on the team.
“I think it’s a whole different mindset,” said Davies. “Coming to Portland…I had some things that I needed to work on and I think coming here and playing under [this coach] and [this] system…really helped me separate myself from who I was as a player last year compared to this year.”
In 2022, Davies was drafted in the sixth round of the NHL entry draft by the Florida Panthers. Coming into the year he had a goal of signing his first pro contract by Christmas.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Davies. “[It’s] something I’ll never forget, that’s for sure.”
“Josh is a physical, energetic, and talented player who competes with heart and tenacity,” said Panthers General Manager Bill Zitto in a statement released by the team. “We are excited to have him continue to develop his game within our system.”
Davies played one preseason game with the Panthers earlier in the year and also skated in one game with the American Hockey Leagues (AHL) Charlotte Checkers. The signing did not come out of nowhere, said Davies. The Panthers and him had been talking pretty frequently throughout the season, which coincidentally happened to be the best of his Junior career.
Ever since he was drafted in 2022, Davies said the thought of signing his first pro contract never went away. For him, the idea of officially putting pen to paper never left his head. The Panthers seemed to feel the same way, at least throughout this season.
“Leading up to the signing [I] talked to them once a week and once they decided to sign me my agent reached out and asked if I wanted to sign my first contract,” said Davies. “I really couldn’t believe it.”
Davies said the key to making the jump to the NHL is all about keeping his game consistent and to keep being the player the Panthers drafted and signed.
“I [need] to play everyday like I know how to play and just trying to do what I can to help us [win] and help my fellow teammates get their contracts as well.”
According to Davies, a legally binding contract with a professional hockey team is not going to change the way he plays.
“I’m not gonna let getting a contract affect who I am as a person or as a player,” he said.
Next season's training camp will be big for Davies, his first on the new contract.
“I’m going to focus on the little details that I need to make my game better and just [go] out there and have fun with my teammates and the coaching staff…and make those bonds and those lifelong memories.”
