Grading the Panthers' 2026 NHL Draft

The Florida Panthers were very quiet at the 2026 NHL Draft, with only six picks in seven rounds, having traded away their first-round pick, 9th overall pick, last week to acquire Brady Tkachuk. In addition, they previously traded away their third-, fourth-, fifth-, and seventh-round picks. The only picks that actually belonged to the Panthers before some trades were a second-round and a sixth-round pick.

With their first pick, 40th overall, Florida selected 18-year-old Simas Ignatavicius, a right-handed center who can boost the organization’s forward depth. According to CapWages, their reserve list features only three centers with three left-wingers and two right-wingers. At the moment, the Panthers have no skaters signed under 20, giving Ignatavicius a couple of years to develop his game in Switzerland before committing to a deal in North America.  

Just a few picks later, at 48th overall, Florida was back on the clock, selecting another center, Ryder Cali, who will turn 18 in September. He’ll become the youngest prospect in the Panthers organization and will take the next step in his playing career in the NCAA with Providence College. As previously mentioned, Florida needs to collect a few more forwards in the pipeline, and the scouting department began to fill the spots with them in their first two picks.

Many picks later, at 98th overall, the Panthers grabbed Jonas Kemps, their first defenseman. Interestingly, the 18-year-old played the last two seasons in the USHL and now will skate in the WHL with the Seattle Thunderbirds. Then, Kemps will head to Michigan State University for the 2027-28 campaign.

More than an hour later, Florida held the 168th pick and selected Finnish winger Vilho Vanhatalo. Standing 6-foot-4, he’s one of the taller forwards in the prospect pool, who mentioned that Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is his idol. Interestingly, Vanhatalo plays for Tappara in Liiga, the club Barkov owns. At 18, it appears Vanhatalo will remain in Finland and continue his career in the country’s top league.

Next, the Panthers selected right-winger Cole Zurawski with the 181st pick. The native of Etobicoke, ON, CAN, spent the past three seasons in the OHL, breaking through with 24 goals and 46 points in 2025-26. Meanwhile, like so many prospects in this year’s draft, Zurawski is going to play in the NCAA, joining the University of Notre Dame.

With the third-to-last pick in the Draft, at 217th overall, the Panthers selected 6-foot-8 goalie Louis-Antoine Denault from Quebec City, QC, CAN. He’s played the past four seasons in the QMJHL, producing a 46-46-10 record in 112 games. Interestingly, he came to the Panthers’ development camp last summer, and this year the club made him their last pick in the seventh round.

Overall, the Panthers haven’t had a chance to find an impact prospect in any drafts since 2021, when they selected Mackie Samoskevich 24th overall. Since competing and winning the Stanley Cup, General Manager Bill Zito has mortgaged their top picks to build a championship roster with proven NHL stars.

Considering Florida's prospect pipeline doesn't have any current stars, the team did a good job at this year's draft to keep the cupboard stocked, in hopes of finding a diamond in the rough and a future impact player when the current core is on the backside of their careers. Today wasn't about hitting grand slams or home runs; instead, Zito and his team hit a few doubles and singles to keep the line moving.

For comparison, at the 2025 Draft, the Panthers made six picks, including four forwards, one defenseman, and one goalie, none of whom have Entry Level Contracts with the organization.

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