Biography

BIOGRAPHY

Aaron Ekblad was born February 7, 1996, in Windsor, Ontario. He is a defenseman in the National Hockey League.

Ekblad was selected first overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers on June 27, 2014 and signed his first NHL contract on September 3, a three-year, entry-level deal with the Panthers. Ekblad made his NHL debut on October and recorded his first career NHL assist and scored his first NHL goal on November 1. On January 23, 2015, Ekblad was named as an injury replacement for Colorado Avalanche defenceman Erik Johnson at the 2015 NHL All-Star Game On June 24, 2015, Ekblad was announced as the Calder winner. On July 2, 2016, Ekblad and the Panthers agreed to an eight-year, $60 million extension. On February 3, 2018, Ekblad became only the 15th defensemen in NHL history to reach double-digits in goals in each of their first four seasons.