The Florida Panthers continued to stock up on wingers in the sixth round of the 2025 NHL Draft. With Mads Kongsbak Klyvø, Shea Busch, and Shamar Moses already selected, Florida took Arvid Drott from Sweden. Drott was born in Stockholm and spent several years playing and rising through the Djurgårdens IF youth system.
Coming into the Draft, Drott was ranked on a multitude of big boards and was slated to get selected earlier than the sixth round. He was ranked as the 25th-best European Skater by NHL Central Scouting. He was in the top 50 for European skaters on big boards by THN/Ferrari, Recruit Scouting, DobberProspects, and Smaht Scouting.
Last season, he played in 40 games for the J20 team of Djurgårdens IF. His production did regress a bit compared to earlier years, but he was still very productive. He scored 18 goals and racked up 40 points. Drott is best known for being a speedster who can be physical. Despite being under six feet and only 187 pounds, that doesn't deter him from throwing the body.
He plays physical to win puck battles along the boards, powers inside for scoring chances on the offensive end, and ends possessions by using his body defensively. Drott is like a well-trained dog, always going to where the puck is. He's always alert and focused on getting the puck on his stick, and he'll fight for it if he has to. However, hitting is not the only thing he can do.
Drott also has a phenomenal wrist shot. When he shoots, the Swede is very accurate and knows where his shots are going. The 17-year-old forward already has tons of confidence with the puck on his stick. Because of this, he can be a great contributor on an NHL power play unit when he develops. He is comfortable everywhere in the offensive zone.
As far as things he has to improve, his reading of the play has to get better. Sometimes he's turned the puck over when passing by, not anticipating a defender within the vicinity. Because of his hustle, sometimes he can go for a puck that he doesn't need to, which creates a possibility for someone to be left unattended. He's had a habit of trying to force plays when they aren't there.
Still, Drott is a fearless competitor. He doesn't back down from anything or anyone. When watching his film, anybody can pick up on the fact that he loves the game. He's motivated to become an impact player at the NHL level and has toughness that fits well with the Panthers' culture. He doesn't care about the stats or highlights. He only cares about doing the things that translate to wins.