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Carter Verhaeghe ( ; 2020–21 National Hockey League Pronunciations. Retrieved October 16, 2021 born August 14, 1995) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a forward for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the third round, 82nd overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. He played for the minor league affiliates of the Maple Leafs and New York Islanders, but did not play in the NHL until being traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning. Verhaeghe won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Lightning in 2020, after which he signed as a free agent with the Panthers. Verhaeghe won a second Stanley Cup with Florida in 2024, becoming the first player to win a Stanley Cup with both teams from the state of Florida. Verhaeghe won his third Stanley Cup and his second with the Panthers in 2025.
Verhaeghe joined the IceDogs immediately following the draft and accumulated 16 points throughout the 2011–12 season. As he was playing on a strong team that finished first in the Eastern Conference, Verhaeghe saw limited playing time. He began the season with a scoring drought and he tallied his first career OHL goal in his 18th game of the season.
Following his second season with the IceDogs in 2012–13, posting 44 points in 67 games, Verhaeghe was selected in the third round, 82nd overall in the 2013 NHL entry draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs. At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season with the Ice Dogs, Verhaeghe was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Maple Leafs on April 2, 2014. He immediately joined AHL affiliate, the Toronto Marlies, signing an amateur tryout contract to play out the remainder of their campaign.
Matching his scoring totals from his previous season with the IceDogs, Verhaeghe scored 82 points as captain in his final season of junior in the 2014–15 season.
In the following 2018–19 season, Verhaeghe captured the first AHL scoring title ever by a Crunch skater, claiming the John B. Sollenberger Trophy with 82 points in 76 games. His 34 goals tied Crunch teammate Alex Barré-Boulet in league scoring to share the Willie Marshall Award. Verhaeghe holds the Crunch's single-season total point record with 82 points.
On July 5, 2019, Verhaeghe was signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension with the Lightning. On September 30, the Lightning announced that Verhaeghe had made the team's opening night roster. On October 3, Verhaeghe appeared in his first career NHL game, which came in a 5–2 Lightning win over the visiting Florida Panthers at Amalie Arena. October 5, Verhaeghe recorded his first career NHL assist and point in a 4–3 loss to the Panthers at BB&T Center. On December 7, Verhaeghe recorded his first career NHL goal and first career multi-point game in a 7–1 Lightning win over the visiting San Jose Sharks at Amalie Arena. He scored his first NHL hat trick on January 7, 2020, in a 9–2 win over the Vancouver Canucks.
On August 15, 2020, Verhaeghe skated in his first career NHL playoff game. In that game Verhaeghe recorded his first career playoff assist and point. Tampa would go on to win the Stanley Cup, defeating the Dallas Stars in six games, and Verhaeghe became the second Sound Tigers player to win the Stanley Cup.
In the shortened 2020–21 season, Verhaeghe had a breakout year, scoring 36 points in 43 games with a plus-24 rating. He signed a three-year contract extension with the Panthers on July 31, 2021.
Verhaeghe earned a reputation as a clutch player for the Panthers. He has scored 5 playoff overtime goals, tied for third all-time in NHL history, and 13 playoff game-winning goals in his career, which is second all-time among active players. During the 2022 playoffs, Verhaeghe scored a team-leading 12 points, including an overtime goal in game 6 of the first round series against the Washington Capitals to give the Panthers their first playoff series win since 1996. The following year, Verhaeghe scored the series-winning goal in overtime of game 7 in their first round series against the Presidents' Trophy–winning Boston Bruins.
Verhaeghe won his second Stanley Cup when the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
On October 8, 2024, Verhaeghe signed an eight-year contract extension with the Panthers. In the 2024–25 season, he recorded 20 goals and 33 assists for 53 points during regular season and helped the Panthers win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final where Florida once again played against and defeated the Edmonton Oilers.
Florida Panthers
Shortly after claiming the Stanley Cup, as an impending restricted free agent with arbitration rights and due to salary cap constraints, Verhaeghe was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Lightning and was released to explore free agency. On October 9, 2020, Verhaeghe remained in Florida, agreeing to a two-year contract with the Florida Panthers.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
2011–12 Niagara IceDogs OHL 62 4 12 16 10 19 1 2 3 2 2012–13 Niagara IceDogs OHL 67 18 26 44 22 5 2 2 4 6 2013–14 Niagara IceDogs OHL 65 28 54 82 60 6 2 2 4 6 2013–14 Toronto Marlies AHL 2 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2014–15 Niagara IceDogs OHL 68 33 49 82 38 11 6 8 14 4 2015–16 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 30 6 9 15 6 — — — — — 2015–16 Missouri Mavericks ECHL 20 8 17 25 2 10 2 9 11 2 2016–17 Bridgeport Sound Tigers AHL 45 16 13 29 20 — — — — — 2016–17 Missouri Mavericks ECHL 16 12 20 32 4 — — — — — 2017–18 Syracuse Crunch AHL 58 17 31 48 30 7 1 7 8 0 2018–19 Syracuse Crunch AHL 76 34 48 82 34 4 1 5 6 2 2019–20 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 52 9 4 13 8 8 0 2 2 2 2020–21 Florida Panthers NHL 43 18 18 36 31 6 2 1 3 2 2021–22 Florida Panthers NHL 78 24 31 55 48 10 6 6 12 4 2022–23 Florida Panthers NHL 81 42 31 73 46 21 7 10 17 8 2023–24 Florida Panthers NHL 76 34 38 72 36 24 11 10 21 20 2024–25 Florida Panthers NHL 81 20 33 53 46 23 7 16 23 6
International
2013 Canada U18 7 0 4 4 4
Awards and honours
First All-Star Team 2019 John B. Sollenberger Trophy 2019 Willie Marshall Award 2019 Stanley Cup champion 2020, 2024, 2025
External links
Categories: 1995 Births, Living People, 21st-century Canadian Sportsmen, Bridgeport Sound Tigers Players, Canadian Expatriate Ice Hockey Players In The United States, Canadian Ice Hockey Centres, Florida Panthers Players, Ice Hockey People From Hamilton, Ontario, Missouri Mavericks Players, Niagara Icedogs Players, Stanley Cup Champions, Syracuse Crunch Players, Tampa Bay Lightning Players, Toronto Maple Leafs Draft Picks, Toronto Marlies Players
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