If you’re getting a sense of deja vu don’t be alarmed, you aren’t crazy.

It was only a month ago that Florida Panthers prospects convened at the Panthers IceDen in Coral Springs for their annual development camp. While many of the names remain same, the difference between development camp and this week’s prospects camp is night and day.

The players that entered the Panthers practice facility back in July, wide-eyed and in awe of their new surroundings, now sport sobering demeanors as they prepare to jockey for position on the organization’s depth chart.

Simply put, it’s time to get to work.

After a lone practice on Friday morning under the direction of San Antonio Rampage head coach Tom Rowe and assistant coach Scott Allen, players will board a flight to Nashville to compete in a four-team Rookie Tournament that begins on Saturday. Prospects from the Boston Bruins, Tampa Bay Lightning, and host Nashville Predators will be the other three teams in attendance.

Here are some storylines you should be following throughout the week:

A SECOND LOOK AT AARON EKBLAD

After signing a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers on Sept. 3, defenseman Aaron Ekblad is all but assured a spot on the team’s opening-night roster.

The No. 1 overall pick in June’s draft and the Ontario Hockey League’s most outstanding defenseman during the 2013-2014 season, Ekblad, 18, will get his first taste of competitive action in front of Panthers top brass since lighting the lamp during an intrasquad scrimmage that closed out development camp.

Hoping to spend the week improving on his defensive play and skating, Ekblad says he is ready to return to the ice after having suffered a concussion on Aug. 5 at Canada’s summer world junior evaluation camp. In the weeks following the incident, Ekblad continued to train rigorously and says his head will not set him back.

Panthers general manager Dale Tallon, meanwhile, plans to take a judicious approach to Ekblad’s usage during this week’s rookie tournament in order to protect the organization’s top prospect to any further harm.

"We’ll take our time," Tallon said. "We’ll be careful. He seems to be 100 percent. We’ll see how it goes the first few days of camp. If he’s ready and willing and healthy, we’ll let him go. But we’ll be careful."

ROCCO GRIMALDI’S TRANSITION TO THE WING

Standing just 5-foot-6, 172 pounds, Rocco Grimaldi’s transition into professional hockey will be about much more than overcoming his size. A center by trade for the majority of his career, Grimaldi led all University of North Dakota players with 17 goals and 39 points in 42 games during his final collegiate season. Now, a logjam at the center position may force him to the right wing in order to both fill the team’s needs and expedite his journey to the NHL.

Having dabbled as a winger throughout various stages of his career, Grimaldi’s departure from the faceoff dot should be a smooth one. Having already played alongside center Vincent Trocheck at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Grimaldi on Trocheck’s wing once again during this week’s rookie tournament.

While the added work of learning a new position will make Grimaldi’s week tougher than others, the upbeat 21-year old won’t shy away from the task.

"Obviously if playing in the NHL was easy, then everyone would play," Grimaldi said in July. "I knew it was going to be hard, but those are just the sacrifices you’re willing to make. If that means not being able to hang out with your friends for a night and training instead, then so be it. This is a business now. This is my job. I’m going to do whatever I can to do the best at my job".

CODY PAYNE CONTINUES TO CHASE CHILDHOOD DREAM WITH PANTHERS

One of the feel-good stories of development camp, Florida natives Cody Payne and Colin Suellentrop were given an opportunity to try out for the Panthers in July. Now, only one remains.

A hulking right winger at 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Payne, 20, will be extending his dream run with the Panthers for at least another week.

Growing up in Weston, Fla., Payne has lived and breathed Panthers hockey since childhood, and credits the team with helping him get to where he is now.

"The first time I really caught on to hockey is my dad took me to the draft down here [at the now BB&T Center] in 2000 when Stephen Weiss got drafted," Payne said at development camp. "He was kind of the first Panther I ever saw. Really the Panthers influenced me from a very young age."

A fifth-round pick of the Boston Bruins in 2012, Payne has spent the past five seasons playing in the Ontario Hockey League, most recently with the Saginaw Spirit. In his final season with Saginaw, he scored 26 goals and 35 points in just 57 games.

PANTHERS HOPE TO FIND A GEM AMONG NCAA TRY OUTS

It’s no secret that Panthers general manager Dale Tallon has an affinity for college hockey players. In fact, Florida paced the NHL with a total of 14 prospects in their system playing NCAA hockey during last season alone.

Hoping to find a diamond in the rough, Tallon has invited seven former NCAA hockey players to prospects camp on a try-out basis. These players include: Andrew Blazek (Robert Morris University), Keevin Cutting (University of New Brunswick), Liam Heelis (Arcadia University), Stephen MacAulay (St. Mary’s University), Michael Quinn (University of Alaska-Fairbanks), Stephan Vigier (northern Michigan University) and Clarke Saunders (University of North Dakota).

Of these players, the one name that should stand out is Alaska-Fairbanks defenseman Michael Quinn. A four-year starter with the Nanooks, Quinn, 23, finished his collegiate career with nine goals and 49 assists in 129 games. Never afraid to put himself in the line of fire, he finished as the nation’s fourth-leading blocker during the 2013-14 regular season with 82 blocked shots.

While every try out projects to be a longshot candidate to earn a contract, any player willing to sacrifice their body for the good of the team will always have a chance.

CAN SAM BRITTAIN CEMENT HIMSELF AS THE TEAM’S TOP-GOALIE PROSPECT?

Joined in net by Jacob DeSerres (University of Calgary) and Clarke Saunders (University of North Dakota), former University of Denver goaltender Sam Brittain stands out the Panthers’ de facto No. 1 goaltender at this week’s camp.

Signed to a three-year, entry-level deal this summer, Brittain is one of just two goaltending prospects currently under contract with the Panthers. A fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft, Brittain posted a 19-14-6 record with a 2.22 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in his final season with the Pioneers. For his efforts, Brittain was nominated for the inaugural Mike Richtar Award as one of the NCAA’s top goaltenders.

Likely to receive a large amount of ice time during this week’s rookie tournament, Brittain will need to make the most of his opportunity if he hopes to supplant either Michael Houser or Dan Ellis in San Antonio. With no surefire goaltending prospects currently in their system, a solid performance this week could propel Brittain up the Panthers depth chart.

"I understand that there are guys ahead of me, but I’m just going to work my hardest and impress as many people as I can along the way." Brittain said of his spot on the team’s depth chart. "I think the biggest thing for me is taking care of what I can do. I can’t worry about how the other guys are going to play or what the coaches are going to do. I’ve just got to do my best and work my hardest no matter what happens."

You can follow Jameson Olive on Twitter @JamesonCoop or email him at JamesonOlive@gmail.com.