Florida Sports Wire

By Mike Bonts (SportsDay Media) - The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers announced their 2026 preseason schedules. Tampa Bay will take part in four contests, including two at Benchmark International Arena.  The Panthers will open their preseason at Amerant Bank Arena against the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 7 p.m. (ET) before visiting the Hurricanes in Raleigh at Lenovo Center on Tuesday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. (ET).   Florida will then face their intrastate rivals Tampa Bay Lightning for a home-and-away matchup to wrap the 2026-27 preseason with games on Thursday, Sept. 24 in Tampa at Benchmark International Arena at 7 p.m. ET and on Saturday, Sept. 26 in Sunrise at Amerant Bank Arena at 6 p.m. ET.  The Lightning will open the preseason on Sunday, September 20 against the Nashville Predators at 5 p.m. at Benchmark International Arena. On Tuesday, September 22, the Lightning will travel to Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena for a second matchup with the P...

By Mike Bonts SAINT PAUL, Minn.(SportsDay) – The Minnesota Wild selected three players during the 2026 Upper Deck NHL Draft, hosted Friday and Saturday in Buffalo, N.Y. Minnesota selected two forwards and one goaltender, including one Swede, one Canadian and one Czech. The Wild began Saturday by selecting center Adam Andersson in the third round (No. 83 overall) after acquiring the selection from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a third-round selection (No. 89 overall) and a fifth-round selection (No. 153 overall) in the 2026 NHL Draft. Andersson, 17 (7/2/2008), recorded 17 points (3-14=17) in 30 games with Leksands IF of the Swedish Under-20 league last season. The 6-foot-4, 218-pound native of Stockholm also tallied four points (1-3=4) in seven games while helping Sweden win a gold medal at the 2026 IIHF Under-18 World Championship, ranking second among tournament skaters with 61 face offs won. "Adam is a big centerman with strong work ethic," said Wild Director of Eu...

By MIKE BONTS TAMPA BAY (SportsDay) - The Tampa Bay Lightning selected six players today during the second day of the 2026 NHL Draft, taking place at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. The Lightning’s 2026 Draft is presented by Florida Blue. The Lightning traded up to the 52nd overall pick in the second round to select forward Oleg Kulebiakin from the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL. Kulebiakin, 5-foot 10, 178 pounds, recorded 29 goals and 73 points in 64 games for Halifax last season. A native of St. Petersburg, Russia, he also skated in four playoff games, registering two assists. Kulebiakin led the Mooseheads for assists, points and power-play points with 26, while ranking third for goals. He is currently committed to play for UMass for the 2027-28 season. With the 26th pick in the third round, 90th overall, Tampa Bay selected defenseman Tomas Kralovic from Bratislava Slovan of the Slovakian league. The 6-foot-3, 202-pound blueliner recorded six goals and 31 points last season in...

Special to SportsDay Media  JACKSONVILLE (SportsDay) - Agustín Ramírez's three-run home run in the third inning lifted the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp to a 4-1 win over the Memphis Redbirds Sunday afternoon at VyStar Ballpark. Trailing 1-0 in the, Jacksonville (47-33, 5-1) answered in the bottom of the second. Brycen Mautz (L, 0-3) walked Connor Norby and Agustín Ramírez singled, putting runners at the corners. Two batters later, Gage Miller walked, loading the bases. Jared Serna drew a walk in the ensuing at-bat, scoring Norby, tying the game at one. Jacksonville broke it open in the third. Kemp Alderman singled, and Norby followed with a double, putting runners on second and third. Ramírez (7) then deposited a three-run homer to left-center, giving the Jumbo Shrimp a 4-1 advantage. Memphis (48-33, 1-5) struck first in the top of the first when Nolan Gorman (2) hit a solo home run. Janson Junk worked 2.2 innings for the Jumbo Shrimp, allowing the one run on three hits with three st...

  Special to SportsDay Media JACKSONVILLE (SportsDay) – Miami Marlins right-handed pitcher Janson Junk is slated to join the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp on a rehab assignment beginning with Sunday’s 2:05 p.m. contest against the Memphis Redbirds at VyStar Ballpark. Junk was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 28 with right shin bone inflammation. He has started 11 games for the Marlins this year with a 3-5 record and 4.80 ERA in 60.0 innings pitched.  Junk appeared in ten games (nine starts) for the Jumbo Shrimp in 2025, posting a 5-3 record and 2.68 ERA in 50.1 innings pitched with 48 strikeouts to just seven walks.  The 30-year-old hurler was a 2017 22nd round selection of the New York Yankees out of Seattle University and has logged time at the major league level with the Los Angeles Angels (2021-22), Milwaukee Brewers (2023-24), Oakland Athletics (2024) and Miami Marlins (2025-26).  The Marlins acquired Junk via minor league free agency on February 10, 2025. ...

By Jeff Moeller   There was a quiet sense of optimism and anticipation in the air around EverBank Stadium.  No, it wasn’t the Jumbo Shrimp, who are in the hunt for the International East title. It was the Jaguars’ mini-camp. The Jags concluded their mini-camp with raised expectations for the defending AFC South Champs. They are still one of the least recognized 13-4 teams in the past several years. However, teams in the division have their target scopes already on them.  They were arguably the league’s hottest team in the second half last year until they ran into Josh Allen in the playoffs. However, that sudden deflation has been pumped back up to full capacity. The Jags want to have everything aligned pretty quickly.  Head coach Liam Coen believed his team was on all cylinders, ready to take the first step to regain respectability in their hunt to defend their crown.  His players have gone the extra mile with an added boost. Coen brought in a host of ex-players...

By Ethan Berch DAYTONA BEACH – The Defenders finally got their revenge. After dropping both Week Nine and Week Ten matchups to Orlando, DC won the one that mattered most. Jason Bean delivered on the biggest stage, leading a 405-yard offensive performance while the defense bottled up the league's most explosive offense in a 28-22 semifinal victory. The defending champions are headed back to the United Bowl. A vibrant Daytona Beach crowd created a postseason atmosphere from kickoff, giving the semifinal a big-game feel despite the neutral setting. DC opened with the football and immediately put the spotlight on Bean. The quarterback converted back-to-back third downs, including a 26-yard catch-and-run from Keke Coutee. The drive stalled inside the red zone and Matt McCrane connected on a short field goal, but an Orlando penalty kept the offense on the field. Deon Jackson made the Storm pay, punching in a three-yard touchdown to cap an 11-play, 57-yard drive and give DC the early lea...