Winterhawks Alumnus Marek Alscher Makes NHL Debut with Florida Panthers
Portland, Ore. – The Portland Winterhawks Hockey Club is proud to announce that alumni Marek Alscher made his NHL debut with the Florida Panthers on Thursday night against the Ottawa Senators. Alscher becomes the 143rd Winterhawk to play in the NHL!
Alscher, from Kladno, Czechia, saw 19:28 of ice time over 25 shifts while recording two shots, one hit, and one block. Alscher was selected 93rd overall in the third round of the 2022 NHL Draft by the Panthers.
✌️ debuting Cats! pic.twitter.com/23RNdtgXbG
— Florida Panthers (@FlaPanthers) April 9, 2026
Since beginning his pro career in 2024, Alscher has skated in 104 games with Florida’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Charlotte Checkers. He’s posted 21 points from 5 goals and 16 assists across two seasons.
“I just thought about how big of a dream it was for me,” Alscher said of his thoughts during Thursday’s rookie lap. “And it was just pure emotion out there.”
Two #NHL debuts tonight for the @FlaPanthers. @ScrippsSports @KatieEngleson spoke with Marek Alscher after the first period. https://t.co/9WZPGM2eSF pic.twitter.com/REKedLaOWO
— Florida Panthers PR (@FlaPanthersPR) April 10, 2026
“You’re in your first game, and you play almost 20 minutes,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said. “Really really happy with his game…Marek got a little more opportunity tonight to play and play against the other team’s best; got up the ice a few times, used the size a little bit, didn’t look like he was afraid to make a play.”
Maurice also said that he expects Alscher to play in Florida’s Saturday matchup with Toronto.
The 6’3, 205-pound defenceman played in 178 games for the Winterhawks between 2021 and 2024. In that span, Alscher amassed 66 points behind 22 goals and 44 assists. Alscher also played in 38 playoff games in Portland, scoring two goals and seven assists. He was also a key member of the 2024 Western Conference Champion Winterhawks team. In his final year in the WHL, Alscher joined the Czech World Junior team for seven games en route to a bronze medal.
Marek Alscher has been spotted 👀#PortlandToThePros https://t.co/rQ3eR1yIME
— Portland Winterhawks (@pdxwinterhawks) April 9, 2026
Florida would fall to Ottawa 5-1 on the road, as Alscher made his debut alongside Checkers teammate Ludvig Jansson
“It’s sweet and sour,” said Alscher post game “The first NHL game, that’s big for me, but unfortunately we didn’t get the win, which would’ve been awesome. Like I said, sweet and sour. It’s nice to play in my first NHL game, but it would be much nicer if we won.”
Cover Photo Credit: Florida Panthers
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