Florida Panthers Select Defenseman John Ludvig 69th Overall

In the third round of the 2019 NHL Draft, the Florida Panthers selected a defenseman for the second consecutive time.

With the 69th pick, the Florida Panthers selected defenseman John Ludvig from Kamloops (BC), Canada.

6’1″, 198 lbs and left-handed, Ludvig played for the Portland Winterhawks (WHL) during the 2018-19 season. In 58 games, Ludvig recorded 5G, 13, and 18 points. The previous season (2017-18), he only tallied 2G, 5A, and 7 points in 51 games.

Known for his solid build, Ludvig isn’t afraid to throw his body and loves to connect with an opposing forward when they meet at the blue line. Furthermore, Ludvig is a player who will drop the gloves to stick up for himself or a teammate in the heat of the moment.

While he plays with a strong degree of physicality, his defensive game (particularly, his awareness) still needs work. Ludvig loves to get physical in the corners, but he can often forget about his defensive assignment at times.

Offensively, Ludvig doesn’t offer much and is purely known for being a body bruiser-type defenseman. He can jump in the play at times and provide the extra goal or assist but don’t expect anything flashy from his game. He’s a meat and potatoes hockey player, with a limited skillset.

The pick came as a surprise to many (including myself), considering that most scouts had John Ludvig landing somewhere in the fourth round.

For the Panthers, who unquestionably should be drafting defensemen in this draft, could’ve selected Ludvig somewhere in the fourth round (or even later).

Seeing the likes of Mikko Kokkonen were still unselected in the third round, the Cats should’ve jumped on the opportunity to select a more-skilled defenseman with a better toolset.

We’ll see how this pick ages, but if my prediction is correct, the Panthers will regret passing up Mikko Kokkonen for John Ludvig – a player they could’ve taken in the fourth round.