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The Florida Panthers are next up in our NHL prospect pool overview series.

Tony Ferrari digs into the Panthers’ strengths and weaknesses, latest draft class, positional depth chart, next player in line for an NHL opportunity and more. A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer a prospect for these exercises, with some exceptions.

Initial Thoughts

After winning back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Panthers' prospect pool couldn’t be less of a focus for their fans.

With that said, the Panthers may not have an incredibly strong prospect pool, but they do have a few really solid prospects. The Panthers are built for the long run, though. They’ve got an NHL roster full of talent, and breaking in will be quite difficult for any player to do.

Jack Devine might be the closest to cracking the roster, and he’s likely to stay in the AHL in his first pro season. Devine was one of the best players in college hockey over the last couple of seasons, and he was instrumental in helping the University of Denver reach three national title games in four years, winning two of them. Devine isn’t the flashiest or most skilled forward, but he’s incredibly effective and understands the nuances of creating offensive chances for himself and his teammates.

Heading into his second AHL season, Sandis Vilmanis will try to take a big step after a decent rookie year. His wrist shot is his best offensive weapon, firing the puck from between the dots in an instant to beat the goalie clean. Vilmanis has sneaky good puckhandling as well, which should help the 21-year-old open up space a bit more.

Last year’s top pick, Linus Eriksson, had a solid season in Sweden, splitting most of it between the Allsvenskan and Swedish League. His board play and attention to detail allowed him to achieve some success against men, but he must continue to get faster and stronger on the puck in open space. Eriksson already possesses the intelligence and habits of a professional player, consistently making the right plays, but he will need to find his lane over the next couple of seasons as a pro.

Gracyn Sawchyn steps into pro hockey this season, bringing his high-energy, high-skill game to the AHL. Sawchyn isn’t a big forward, but he plays to win each battle, leveraging his speed and skill with a dogged mentality along the boards. His on-puck skill is impressive, using a full arsenal of puckhandling on his backhand, in tight to his body and stretched out from his frame. Sawchyn is also a creative playmaker. How all of the elements of his game work in the AHL will be worth tracking this season.

While he isn’t flashy or particularly entertaining to watch, Simon Zether could fit on the bottom end of a Panthers roster that features players who play hard, play physical and put opposing players in compromising positions. He reads the play well at both ends of the ice, often making the simple play because it’s the right one in a given situation. Zether won’t try to dangle his way through an entire team, but he can create space and advance play.

Matvei Shuravin is a defender with size and mobility, but until this past year, he didn’t show much offensively. His uptick in production came from the fact that he was bigger, stronger and faster than most players at the junior level in Russia. Shuravin defends well, using his feet to cut off lanes and his body to kill play. He needs to figure out his on-puck game, even if it’s just simple breakout passes and competency with the puck in transition. Shuravin is one of the very few defenders with NHL potential in the system.

The most notable goalie in the system is Kirill Gerasimyuk. The soon-to-be 22-year-old netminder looked great in the second-tier Russian league this past season until the playoffs rolled around, and he had a rough couple of games. He signed his entry-level contract, so he’ll be trying to make the jump to the AHL this upcoming season. His biggest strength is that he is calm, cool and collected in net, rarely allowing himself to seem flustered. As with most goalies, Florida can take their time with this kid. Let him develop in the AHL without rushing to the NHL.

Key U-23 Players Likely To Play NHL Games This Season

Mackie Samoskevich (RW)

Shea Busch (Caroline Anne-Everett Silvertips)

2025 NHL Draft Class

Round 4, 112nd overall - Mads Kongsbak Klyvo, LW, Vastra Frolunda Jr. (Swe.)

Round 4, 128th overall - Shea Busch, LW, Everett (WHL)

Round 5, 129th overall - Shamar Moses, RW, North Bay (OHL)

Round 6, 192nd overall - Arvid Drott, RW, Djurgarden Jr. (Swe.)

Round 7, 197th overall - Brendan Dunphy, D, Wenatchee (WHL)

Round 7, 224th overall - Yegor Midlak, G, Spartak Moscow Jr. (Rus.)

The two-time defending Stanley Cup champions didn’t make a draft pick until the fourth round, when they added Danish winger Mads Kongsbak Klyvo. He is a very good skater who brings a physical element with some excellent defensive utility. Kongsbak Klyvo is a bit raw offensively. His passing and shooting are fairly average. He has nice hands, but he isn’t going to dangle his way around the ice.

After Shea Busch spent one-and-a-half seasons at the BCHL level where he wasn’t particularly productive, he jumped up to the WHL partway through this past season. His skating is a major concern, and he bobbles pucks more than you’d like, but he plays a heavy game, and every once in a while, Busch can really rip a puck. This was a bit of a perplexing pick, but the Panthers identified a guy who may provide some depth down the line.

The Panthers continued the trend of drafting raw, physical wingers by adding Shamar Moses. He’s a bit more refined as a skater, but that is still the area he needs to work on because the physicality and offensive tools have been really intriguing. There will need to be some skill development, and Moses will need to continue to refine his raw frame. The Panthers are betting that he can become a nifty depth scorer.

Arvid Drott might be the most enticing winger the Panthers took. His speed is impressive, and he can generate offensive chances off the rush on the regular. Drott can be a bit of a physical presence as well, which should make him a very versatile bottom-six player. He is a north-south, no-nonsense kind of player. He wants to fly down the wing and fire heavy snap shots on net. It will be very interesting to see how he develops.

Brendan Dunphy is an overage defender who’s headed to the NCAA next season after a year in the WHL. He uses his 6-foot-5 frame to its full ability, using his reach to knock pucks off attackers' sticks and his body to lay the wood along the boards. Dunphy has plenty of time to develop.

Drafting a Russian netminder at the tail end of the draft is a good bet. Yegor Midlak didn’t play a ton, but when he did, he was fantastic. He has excellent size at 6-foot-6, and he moves fairly well in net as well. The 18-year-old Russian is a long-term project, but he’s a worthwhile one in the seventh round.

Strengths

The Panthers’ one area of strength in their pipeline is on the wing. Even the players listed down the middle are more likely to find success at the pro level on the wing.

Sawchyn is a highly skilled, pace-pushing forward who could be a fun winger. Vilmanis is getting closer to being an impact player in the pros. Devine very well could play NHL games this upcoming season. Drott is a raw, speedy forward with a great shot but must refine things as he develops. They don’t have a star prospect in general, but they have a few wingers who could be effective depth pieces.

Weaknesses

The Panthers’ prospect pool as a whole is weaker than most, but it’s not nearly as barren as some would expect. With that said, the defense group is lacking in a major way.

Michael Benning is an unsigned RFA. Shuravin took a nice step last year, proving himself to be at least a capable puck-mover, but he played primarily at the Russian junior level. Vladislav Lukashevich transferred from Michigan State to Miami-Ohio this off-season as he couldn’t really secure a role with MSU. Evan Nause has struggled to break out of the ECHL over the last two seasons. There just doesn’t seem to be much in the way of NHL-caliber defenders in the system.

Hidden Gem: Simon Zether, C

The Panthers have a knack for finding quality depth players who play with physical intensity and intelligent two-way play. A player that might fit that mold over the next few years is Simon Zether. He has size and crafty passing ability.

The Swede uses his size along the boards to win pucks, and when he isn’t winning them outright, he’s working his tail off to at least prevent the opposing team from collecting it cleanly. Zether likely won’t be a top-six forward, but as a bottom-six, versatile center who can play on the penalty kill and chip in from time to time, there is an NHL future there for Zether.

Jack Devine and Joona Vaisanen (Connor Hamilton-Imagn Images)

Next Man Up: Jack Devine, RW

After a wildly successful NCAA career where he collected two national titles, a scoring title and a couple of first-team all-American selections, Jack Devine signed his entry-level contract and joined the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. After a few games at the end of the regular season, Devine had five points in seven playoff games.

Devine has always found a way to score. While he’s traditionally been more of a shooter, his final season in the NCAA was built around his game as a playmaker. Devine will start the year in the AHL, but he could see NHL games. If he does, he’s the exact kind of player the Panthers find a perfect role for. Devine could be a sneaky good depth scorer for Florida in pursuit of a third straight title.