Panthers cancel prospect tournament ahead of Hurricane Irma

The Florida Panthers aren't taking any chances.

The club announced Wednesday that the four-team prospect tournament scheduled to be held in Estero, Fla., has been canceled.

Florida is preparing for Hurricane Irma, the strongest Atlantic storm since 2005. Evacuation orders have been rolled out as the Category 5 storm intensifies. Estero is about 150 miles south of Tampa on the state's west coast.

The tournament was set for Sept. 9-12 and was to include the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Washington Capitals.

UPDATE: #tblightning rookies will travel to Nashville Friday and scrimmage w #Preds rookies Sat-Tuesday. Estero tourney was cancelled.

- Joe Smith (@TBTimes_JSmith) September 6, 2017

"We are here and ready to support our Florida family, Broward County, and the City of Sunrise as the community prepares for Irma's possible landfall," Panthers owners Vincent Viola said in a statement. "Service to the community and family are in the DNA of our organization."

Meanwhile, the BB&T Center - the Panthers' arena in Sunrise - will serve as a tactical operations site as South Florida prepares for the storm.

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