Mackie Samoskevich leaves Michigan, signs PTO with Florida farm team

After two seasons with the Michigan hockey team, Mackie Samoskevich is off to the National Hockey League.

The sophomore forward and 2021 first-round pick of the Florida Panthers signed a professional tryout agreement with the Charlotte Checkers, the Panthers’ AHL farm team on Tuesday, forgoing his remaining two years of NCAA eligibility in the process. He finished his Wolverines career with 30 goals and 42 assists across 79 games played.

Known for his blistering shot, Samoskevich played a key role in Michigan’s back-to-back Big Ten championships and Frozen Four appearances. Primarily playing on the wing opposite sophomore forward Dylan Duke, the dynamic duo became a mainstay of the Wolverines’ offense. Samoskevich’s tendency to shoot perfectly complemented Duke’s rebounding prowess at the netfront.

But now, Michigan will have to replace that production as a vital piece of the duo has reached the professional ranks. 

Samoskevich was the Wolverines’ last remaining first-round pick of the historic 2021 NHL Draft that saw four Wolverines picked in the top-five slots, with Samoskevich’s  24th overall selection later in the first round accounting for five picks in the same draft. He is the second player from his family to reach the professional ranks; his sister, Melissa, plays for Premier Hockey Federation’s Connecticut Whale.

While Samoskevich played largely third-line minutes in his freshman year and put up a respectable 29 points, his sophomore season saw a massive leap in production as he put up 43 points including 20 goals. One of those was an overtime winner in the Allentown Regional to punch Michigan’s ticket to the Frozen Four.

All that suggests that replacing Samoskevich’s talent will be a difficult task for the Wolverines. He becomes the third Wolverine to sign a professional deal, following sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes leaving for the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and junior goaltender Erik Portillo signing an ATO with the LA Kings’ farm team, the Ontario Reign.

After playing his last game in Tampa — a hard-to-stomach loss to Quinnipiac in the Frozen Four — Samoskevich will now explore his professional options in that same state.