Florida Panthers prospect sets record: he he may pass Zdeno Chara as the tallest player in NHL history

Florida Panthers goalie prospect Cooper Black has a chance to set a new NHL record for tallest player in the league after a summer growth spurt.

Black was already one of the tallest professional hockey players in North America last summer, when the Panthers invited him to training camp as a non-roster addition. At the time, he was listed at 6'8" which would make him the tallest active player in the league. While he clearly did not make the team, the Panthers were impressed with him enough to offer him a contract, so he has returned to training camp once again this year.

Surprisingly, the 23-year-old was not done growing yet as he showed up in Sunrise with an extra two inches of height year-over-year. Remarkably, the young netminder is now listed at a whooping 6 feet, 10 inches tall.

Of course, the tallest player ever to skate in the NHL was Zdeno Chara. The Slovak defenseman stands at 6'9" and is closer to 7 feet tall with his skates on. Now his record is in jeopardy should Black ever make the league. Even with his shorter goalie skates, Black would become the tallest player in league history if he ever plays a game. That being said, his path to the NHL is still a long one and it is no guarantee that he will ever get there.

Last season, Black played for Dartmouth in the NCAA where he appeared in 30 games, going 13-8-8 with a 2.58 goals-against-average and a .910 save percentage. Given the relatively weak division Dartmouth is in, those numbers are not particularly great. Furthermore, he did get into one AHL game at the end of the season with the Charlotte Checkers where he was shelled, putting up a .789 save percentage and giving up 6 goals in the loss. Of course, a single game is by no means a good sample size, but he will have to show he can hang at the AHL level next season before the Panthers even begin to consider giving him a shot at making his NHL debut.

Source: EliteProspects
Cooper Black career statistics

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