Panthers sign Cooper Black to two-year contract extension
The Florida Panthers have agreed to terms on a two-year, two-way contract extension with goaltender Cooper Black, the club announced Monday afternoon.
Black, 24, posted a 25-13-4 record, one shutout, and a .903 save percentage in 42 games with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers during the 2025-26 regular season. Additionally, the 6’8″ goaltender went 1-2 with an .892 save percentage in three playoff contests with the club.
An undrafted player, Black originally signed with the Panthers organization as a free agent in 2024. According to PuckPedia, his new contract with the club carries an $875,000 NHL cap hit through 2028; he’ll earn an average of $275,000 while in the AHL over the next two seasons.
We have agreed to terms with goaltender Cooper Black on a two-year, two-way contract. 📝 » flapanthers.co/black6-8-26
A product of Alpena High School in his hometown of Alpena, Mich., Black played for four different junior clubs in the NAHL, USHL, and BCHL before heading to Dartmouth College for the 2022-23 season.
After being named to the ECAC’s All-Rookie Team while at Dartmouth in 2022-23, Black took a step forward the following year and posted a 13-8-8 record with a .910 save percentage and two shutouts in 30 games. He was named a finalist for the Ken Dryden ECAC Goaltender of the Year Award and earned a spot on the conference’s Second All-Star Team.
Black signed his first NHL contract with Florida in April 2024, off the strength of his 18-31-9 record, .904 save percentage, and five shutouts in 60 games over two seasons at Dartmouth. He made his AHL debut with Charlotte that spring and split the following season between the Checkers and the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates, appearing in 17 games with the former and seven with the latter.
In 60 career AHL games over parts of three seasons with Charlotte, Black has compiled a 36-18-6 record, four shutouts, and a .903 save percentage. The Panthers now have three goaltenders under contract for the 2026-27 season in Black, Kirill Gerasimyuk, and Tyler Muszelik, none of whom have played in an NHL game; Sergei Bobrovsky, Daniil Tarasov, and Louis Domingue are all pending unrestricted free agents.