The Florida Panthers recalled defensemen Marek Alscher and Ludvig Jansson from the American Hockey League on April 9, 2026. Both players were scheduled to make their National Hockey League debuts that night against the Ottawa Senators in Ottawa.
The recalls came after injuries affected the Panthers’ defensive group. Aaron Ekblad was sidelined with a finger injury, Niko Mikola with a lower-body injury and Uvis Balinskis with a foot injury. Dmitry Kulikov suffered a finger injury and Seth Jones sustained a foot injury during the Panthers’ shootout loss at Montreal.
“We’ve got a young backend there,” head coach Paul Maurice said. “We’ve got old man Forsling and the kids.” Maurice added, “It’s just unbelievable what these guys have been through.”
Alscher and Jansson receive first NHL opportunity
Marek Alscher was selected in the third round, 93rd overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft. He recorded 11 points, including three goals and eight assists, in 51 games during his second season with the Charlotte Checkers.
Ludvig Jansson was selected in the fourth round, 125th overall, of the 2022 NHL Draft. He recorded 10 points, including three goals and seven assists, in 29 games during his first American Hockey League season.
Jansson also recorded two goals and two assists over his last five games with Charlotte. He scored in four of those games before receiving the call-up.
“This has been a childhood dream,” Jansson said. “I think I’ve been every one of these guys on video games. It’s just a surreal feeling being here. I’m super excited.”
Florida Panthers scheduled to face Ottawa Senators
The Florida Panthers were scheduled to face the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa at 7 p.m. ET on April 9, 2026. The game was the penultimate contest of the Panthers’ final road trip of the season.
Source: Original report