Krzysztof Macias celebrates with Brayden Dube after a Raiders preseason win. (Mark Peterson/Prince Albert Raiders)

By Nick Nielsen

Five Raiders heading to NHL Camps

A look at the Raiders heading to NHL camps

Sep 11, 2024 | 5:00 PM

With two games left to go in the preseason, it’s going to be a little while before we see some of the star players for the Prince Albert Raiders back at the Art Hauser Centre. Five Prince Albert Raiders are going to different NHL Development camps.

Of the returning Raiders, Niall Crocker and Krzysztof Macias are both heading to Ottawa Senators and Florida Panthers camps respectively. As for the new additions, Tomas Mrsic is headed to the St. Louis Blues, Lukas Dragicevic is off to the Seattle Kraken, and Norwin Panocha will be in Buffalo with the Sabres.

Starting with Niall Crocker who enters his fifth season with the Raiders this year, he was invited to his first NHL Development Camp this year when he was invited out to the Ottawa Senators Development Camp, despite going undrafted. As one of last year’s assistant captains, the 2004 born forward is coming off the best year of his career posting 23G-34A-57P in 68 games during the regular season, and scoring three goals in the first round exit against the Saskatoon Blades during the playoffs.

Crocker and the Ottawa Senators prospects are scheduled for three games as part of the 2024 Prospects Challenge Buffalo that starts on September 13. The Senators play the New Jersey Devils prospects on Friday, the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, and after a day of rest Sunday they play the Columbus Blue Jackets to end things off on Monday.

As for Krzysztof Macias, he’s heading to the prospect camp for the Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers. Also undrafted heading into his final year in the WHL, Macias was invited to the Florida Panthers development camp in the summer after successfully representing his home country of Poland at the 2024 World Hockey Championships in Czechia.

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For the Panthers and Macias, they are playing as part of the NHL Rookie Showcase in Nashville that also starts on September 13. Their games are against the Nashville Predators prospects on Friday, the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday, and finally on Monday against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Moving on to the new additions, Norwin Panocha was one of the latest picks in the draft when the Buffalo Sabres took him 205th overall in round seven of the 2023 Draft. Panocha was invited to the Sabres development camp last year and managed to get into one preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs where he managed a +1 rating in a 5-2 loss.

Panocha will also be in the Prospects Challenge going on in Buffalo. The Sabres play the Columbus Blue Jackets on Friday, the New Jersey Devils Saturday, and they finish things off with the Pittsburgh Penguins prospects on Monday.

After getting drafted 113th overall in round four by the St. Louis Blues, Tomas Mrsic will head to his first NHL camp. Between round three and round four where Mrsic was selected, the Blues picked three forwards in a row including Mrsic. Aside from attending the draft in person, this will be Mrsic’s first NHL experience.

The Blues are also hosting one of the Prospect Challenges in Maryland Heights, Missouri. There are only two games for Mrsic to work his way into, against the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, and the Minnesota Wild on Sunday.

For the highest draft pick on the Raiders, Lukas Dragicevic, is off to Seattle Kraken camp. After signing his entry level deal with the Kraken in March, it’s expected the 57th overall pick is going to get a decent look during the preseason with the Kraken despite not making it into one of their six preseason games last year. During the season last year, Dragicevic was called up to the AHL for three games with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, and he managed his first professional hockey point in his first game with an assist against the Abbotsford Canucks.

For Dragicevic and the Kraken, they are in Los Angeles for their Rookie Faceoff. The Kraken only play two games, one on Saturday with the Colorado Avalanche, and again on Sunday with the Vegas Golden Knights.

As for how long all of these players will be staying with their NHL squads, there is no guarantee. The Raiders open their season at home against the Regina Pats on September 20, and the NHL preseason opens the very next day with Mrsic’s St. Louis Blues taking on the Dallas Stars. With Dragicevic being the highest draft pick coming from the Raiders, he is the one most likely to have an extended stay in the NHL preseason.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com